Jonathan Gibson

First sentence: Christmas is my favorite time of year.

Premise/plot: O Come, O Come Emmanuel is a companion book to Jonathan Gibson's Be Thou My Vision (2021). The original provides readers with thirty days of liturgical daily worship. It weaves traditional liturgical elements with Scripture and church history. O Come, O Come Emmanuel has devotions for November 28th through January 6th. Is it absolutely necessary? Perhaps not. After all, one could simply use the original Be Thou My Vision in December and January like you have been doing the rest of the year. What has changed between the two books? The Scripture readings are specifically chosen for the season--about a chapter sometimes not even a full chapter. The catechism portion is reduced to those questions that specifically deal with the incarnation. The meditations are about the incarnation as well. But I would say the basic structure and most of the elements are exactly the same as the original. (I forgot to mention that each day has a 'song' to read or sing.)

Is this one more substantive than your average advent devotional? Probably. Is it more substantive than the original Be Thou My Vision? No. It's about the same. If you have the first book, this one is a luxury addition.

Scripture readings include:
Genesis 3:1-15
Genesis 22:1-19
Genesis 49:1-12
Numbers 24:1-19
Deuteronomy 18:1-22
2 Samuel 7:1-16
Psalm 2
Psalm 16
Psalm 45
Psalm 68
Psalm 89
Psalm 110
Psalm 118
Job 19
Isaiah 7:10-17; and Isaiah 9:1-7
Isaiah 11
Isaiah 40
Isaiah 42
Isaiah 49
Isaiah 50
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Jeremiah 23:1-6; 33:14-26
Micah 5
Zechariah 9:9-17; 13:1-9; Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:26-56
Luke 1:57-80
Luke 2:1-21
Luke 2:22-40
Matthew 1:1-25
John 1:1-18
Colossians 1:1-20
Ephesians 3:1-12
Romans 1:1-17
Philippians 2:1-11
Isaiah 60
Hebrews 1
Hebrews 2
John 5
Psalm 72
Matthew 2… (altro)

First sentence: It may come as a surprise, but there is no explicit command in Scripture to have a time of worship each day, either as an individual or as a family. And yet it is a habit that every Christian believer or Christian family is encouraged to practice. The name of the habit may vary depending on one's Christian tradition or background--"devotion," "quiet time," or "personal or family worship"--but the basic elements of Bible reading and prayer are usually present.

ETA: I first read this one in 2021. I liked--really liked quite a few things about it. I mentioned at the time that I wanted to give it a 'proper' go. To use it for a month--or two, or three--to see how well I liked it--or not.

I started using the Be Thou My Vision devotional in December 2022. I also continued using it in January 2023. Now that I've read through it three times, I can now say that I definitely enjoy it. I do think it is solid and steady.

Original review:

What you see is what you get. This is a LITURGY for DAILY WORSHIP. Thirty-one days of liturgical worship that can be repeated to infinity (and beyond).

The structure of the liturgy for daily worship is:

CALL TO WORSHIP (thirty-one Scripture readings, these are taken from both Old and New Testaments)
ADORATION (thirty-one prayers--all focused on praise and adoration--taken from church history; I believe the doxology is included under this heading as well)
READING OF THE LAW (seven readings taken from Scripture--from both Old and New Testaments--regarding the law)
CONFESSION OF SIN (thirty-one prayers--all focused on confessing sin--taken from church history)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON (thirty-one Scripture readings--focusing on assurance of forgiveness of sins--taken from both the Old and New Testaments)
CREED (alternates three creeds, but one of the three creeds is divided into three; Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed)
PRAISE (Gloria Patri, two versions alternating weekly)
CATECHISM (refers you to an appendix where you'll read from the Heidelberg Catechism or the Westminster Shorter Catechism. These are undated; you are encouraged to read one question a day.)
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (seven prayers from church history, repeated weekly)
SCRIPTURE READING (refers you to an appendix where they share the M'Cheyne reading plan. Here's where it gets confusing, the plan clearly has you reading FOUR chapters a day, but the book has you just reading one chapter a day????)
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION (thirty-one prayers from church history; you are also encouraged to pray on your own for personal, church, world needs)
LORD'S PRAYER (daily)

The book has five appendices: musical tunes for the Doxology and Gloria Patri, the two catechisms, the M'Cheyne reading plan, and the collects from the Book of Common Prayer, and author index.

The book pulls in sources from all over--including the Book of Common Prayer. The structure is different from that of the Book of Common Prayer, and yet there are similarities to a certain degree. It does offer more variety in some ways.

I think you could definitely improvise with this as well. You wouldn't have to read just one chapter from a daily reading plan that clearly and obviously has four readings. You wouldn't have to follow this reading plan at all.

I do wish that one of the sections was focused on the PSALMS and taking you through the Psalms each month. That's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite things about doing the Daily Offices from the Book of Common Prayer.… (altro)

A expiação definida na perspetiva histórica, bíblica, teológica e pastoral
Este livro se coloca como um dos primeiros a oferecer um estudo abrangente sobre a doutrina da expiação definida, lançando mão de várias disciplinas da teologia e considerando-a sob as perspetivas histórica, bíblica, sistemática e pastoral.
Por quem Cristo deu a sua vida?
A chamada doutrina da expiação limitada tem sido tema de debates e de alguma controvérsia na história recente da igreja, evidenciando a necessidade de um exame cuidadoso e amplo sobre o assunto.
Incorporando a contribuição de vários teólogos respeitados, este livro se coloca como um dos primeiros a oferecer um estudo abrangente sobre a doutrina da expiação definida, lançando mão de várias disciplinas da teologia e considerando-a sob as perspectivas histórica, bíblica, sistemática e pastoral.
Produzido com o auxílio de vários eruditos e pesquisadores experimentados da teologia e oferecendo percepções iluminadoras sobre esta importante doutrina, este livro visa encorajar conversas profundas e proveitosas ao tempo em que defende uma das doutrinas centrais da Teologia Reformada.… (altro)

The Moon Is Always Round is a story for children but it is a reminder to ALL of us of God's goodness. Over and over again, we hear a father reassuring his little boy that even though he isn't seeing a full moon, the moon is always round. And just as we may not understand all that is happening in our lives, God is always there. Even when problems and trouble appear to cover it up, God's goodness is always present.

This is a sweet story with beautiful illustrations and it offers parents and their children the chance to talk about God and His wonderful Grace. In the back of the book, author Jonathan Gibson offers Lessons for Children and The Story Behind This Book and these extras offer more opportunities to discuss how God's goodness is always with us.

I am hesitant, however, to recommend this as a book for all children because there is a mention of a baby sister who is stillborn and we see the grief of this family. This would certainly be an excellent book for parents and children who are dealing with miscarriage or death but I'm not sure that it should be read to all young children.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from New Growth Press but a positive review was not required. These are my own thoughts.… (altro)