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The five brief pieces collected here represent the final words prepared by Karl Barth for publication, all of them originating during the period from his serious illness in August of 1968 to his death in December of that same year. The final selection is a fragment left unfinished the night he died.
The last word that I have to say as a theologian or politician is not a concept like grace but a name: Jesus Christ. He is grace and he is the ultimate one beyond world and church and even theology. We cannot lay hold of him. But we have to do with him.... There is no salvation but in this name. In him is grace.
Karl Barth, 'Final Testimonies'

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This book is intended as a devotional guide for the Advent season. Through the mediums of meditations, poetry, and prayer, it offers a spiritual resource for readers seeking to explore the many dimensions of this beloved season, and to deepen their appreciation of its mystery and wonder. Each day the reader is provided with either a prose meditation, based in Scripture, or a selection of poems, composed around the traditional themes of Advent/Christmas. The overall effect is that of a journey–a journey which moves, devotionally, through the days and weeks of December, toward Bethlehem, the stable, and the manger. Images, incidents, impressions, and items from the daily news are woven together to form a rich and rewarding tapestry, a pathway leading onward, an open door into the quiet places of the soul. Christmas Eve and Day are given special treatment, followed by a final section covering New Year's Day and the twelve days of Christmas. The book also provides a source of creative imagery and language for clergy, and other worship leaders, as they face the challenges of speaking traditional truths in a new and inviting way. Yet another use would be as a small group study guide for Advent.

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Letters of Light is a translation of over ninety passages from a well-known Hasidic text, Ma'or va-shemesh, consisting of homilies of Kalonymus Kalman Epstein of Krakow, together with a running commentary and analysis by Aryeh Wineman. With remarkable creativity, the Krakow preacher recast biblical episodes and texts through the prism both of the pietistic values of Hasidism, with its accent on the inner life and the Divine innerness of all existence, and of his ongoing wrestling with questions of the primacy of the individual vis-a-vis that of the community. The commentary traces the route leading from the Torah-text itself through various later sources to the Krakow preacher's own reading of the biblical text, one that often transforms the very tenor of the text he was expounding. Though composed almost two centuries ago, Ma'or va-Shemesh comprises an impressive spiritual statement, many parts of which can speak to our own time and its spiritual strivings.

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We don't define home the same way anymore. School shootings and natural disasters populate the headlines. Tragedy and disease infiltrate our neighborhoods. We not only must survive in an unsafe world, but also persevere in it. By confronting fear and embracing family, Local News from Someplace Else rediscovers both grace and joy.

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The mighty Assyrian army has invaded the tiny kingdom of Judah to crush the rebellion against the great king Sennacherib. After a long siege, the Assyrians capture the fortified city of Lachish. They show no mercy to the vanquished people. But one girl is able to escape-Rivkah. She hides in the hills and finds refuge in the company of other survivors. In a devastated land they seek to rebuild their lives. The words of the prophet Micah-spoken to the people over many years-speak to Rivkah anew, allowing her to see the events in a new light.
Drawing on extensive scholarly research, Daughter of Lachish brings to life the world of Ancient Judah. It melds archaeology and biblical studies to tell a story of the people who first heard the words of the Psalms and Prophets. It is a story of one girl, her search for a place in the world, and her quest to make sense of loss and joy. Through her eyes we experience the daily tasks, the seasons of the agricultural year, the bonds that hold together a household and a village, and the tensions that threaten to tear them apart.
You who live in Lachish, harness the chariot. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you. Micah 1:13

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In this work, the author brings the book of Bereshit (Genesis) to life by his idiomatic, easily understood translation of the Masoretic text. Dr. Friedman takes many ancient Hebrew idioms and unfolds them and their significance for the reader. Additionally, the reader enters into the flow of the text through his commentary, one that is based on unique Jewish approaches to understanding this foundational biblical book. This translation is both scholarly and artistic; upholding the holiness of the text while casting new looks at it, as is done when assessing the life of Yakov (Jacob). There is a special appendix to the translation and commentary that is found in chapter 37, when the life of Joseph is featured. In this fresh, insightful translation and commentary, the reader will enjoy immersing himself or herself in the Bible's classic first book, the 'Book of the Beginning.'

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Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was without question the most influential German theologian between Luther and Schleiermacher. He was the force behind modern Protestant missions, launched efforts that eventually became the ecumenical movement, and influenced some of the most significant theological projects of the modern world from Schleiermacher's to Barth's and Bonhoeffer's.
He was convinced that in important respects the Christian church of his day had lost its way both intellectually and practically. In these speeches, given to overflow crowds in Berlin, he brought to expression what he held to be the absolute and nonnegotiable center of Christian existence-the main thing. Here he laid out for public view the heart of all his activity, the guiding reality of his life. In these speeches Zinzendorf focuses on fundamental theological themes. One senses the influence upon him of the Pietist movement and of Orthodox theology. One gains an appreciation for his bold idiosyncrasy, his willingness to stand apart, and to bear witness. But above all, one gains here an insight into the very heart of Zinzendorf.

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In God's School (A L' Ecole de Dieu) is foundational Christian instruction. It follows the outline of John Calvin's Geneva Catechism along with the Heidelberg Catechism. According to the ancient practice of the church, In God's School instructs in doctrine, expounding the Apostles' Creed. It enriches common evangelical treatments of these subjects by including fine sections on the church and the ministry of Word and sacraments as means of grace. It lays out basic Christian ethics by expounding the Ten Commandments. It teaches Christian worship by explaining the Lord's Prayer.
This book may be used over the course of a school year. Students read a chapter each week. It also familiarizes students with the fine catechetical materials of the Protestant Reformation. Each chapter is divided into daily readings that include Scripture, so the student receives doctrinal teaching along with daily Bible study.
Perhaps the greatest strength of In God's School is the presentation of the Commandments and Prayer. John Calvin's stress on the grace of God shines through ethical exhortation. Maturity in Christ comes from a growing knowledge of God through the gospel of his Son, a clearer understanding of the life he calls us to walk before him, and the Spirit's love and strength. With spiritual wisdom and rigor, Pierre Marcel leads us in knowing God.

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