The Uncluttered Heart: Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas - Paperback

by Beth A. Richardson (Author)

It's a time when we prepare our lives-hearts, minds, and spirits-for the coming of the Christ child. We sweep out the corners of our hearts, cleaning up the clutter, to make space for God's hope, peace, joy, love, and presence.

The Uncluttered Heart offers four weeks of guided reflection through the weeks of Advent on through Epiphany. Each day provides a

• quotation
• scripture passage
• reflection
• prayer

This book includes a study guide for groups.

Back Jacket

Finding a place to focus and integrate the Christian faith and the events of day-to-day life can be taxing. This Advent season readers will join Beth Richardson as she uses the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, interwoven with the ancient practices of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, to create a time of deep reflection and connection to God. In each daily reading, the reader is invited to embrace a quote, a scripture reading, a reflection, and prayer, followed by a short phrase or word, which encompasses the daily theme. Readers are then encouraged to keep the word or phrase with them as a part of their daily work and as a reminder of the faith building experience of Advent. Small groups will be aided by the group study guide that offers suggestions on how to form meetings around the four weekly themes. Also included in the book are four Advent litanies and a litany for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. These litanies may be used in congregational or in family worship during Advent and Christmas.