Wonderful worship

The whole season of Christmas, from Advent to Epiphany, is a wonderful opportunity for the Church to celebrate the birth of Jesus as 'God with us'.

Instead of feeling we are battling against the tide and shutting ourselves off from all the festivities, which are increasingly secular, Susan Sayers encourages us to embrace them and fill them with real meaning. In her excellent book of resources for worship in church, outside and at home, for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, the author shows how this can be possible.

The resources help to make Advent more spacious and reflective, rather than being caught up in the frantic pre-Christmas secular stress. They also show how we can Christianise many of the pre- and post-Christmas activities, so that these secular events are not extras to be squashed into an already hopelessly busy schedule, but become an integral part of our Christian preparation and reflection.