History Corner: Rise Up, Shepherd by Luke A. Powery

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge,from Westminister John Knox Press, via Edelweiss, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.


Since we've started talking about Christmas
(ONLY 67 days away!!!), I thought I'd share 3 very special Advent books with you this holiday season. 

Here is the first one!

rise up shepherd cover


Synopsis:

Valuable not only for their sublime musical expression, the African American spirituals give us profound insights into the human condition and the Christian life. Many focus on an essential scene of the Christian drama: the coming of God as the child in Bethlehem and as the hope of the world and the liberator of God’s oppressed people.

In these devotions for the season of Advent, Luke Powery leads the reader through the spirituals as they confront the mystery of incarnation and redemption. In Rise Up, Shepherd! each devotion features the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection on the spiritual’s meaning, a Scripture verse, and a brief prayer.

rise up shepherd  sample 1

Review:

This is such a LOVELY book, it may be my favorite of the 3 I'm sharing this season! The book looks at many of the old spirituals, but makes you rethink them, and their true meanings!

rise up shepherd  sample 2

As you can see, the book is part devotional (you can use for every day of Advent), and part spiritual guide to how we need to open our hearts during the Advent season, and for what we should be doing and feeling. And when we don't FEEL that love, then Luke shows us it's OK, that our feeelings are human, and how we can change them, when we're ready, with God's help!

rise up shepherd  sample 3

The book truly IS a balm for your soul and I would highly recommend it not only for your family, but also for gift giving this Advent season, as it would make a lovely hostess present, or for those who lead our children!


About the Author:

Luke A. Powery is Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. He is the author of Spirit Speech: Lament and Celebration in Preaching and Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope and coauthor of Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place.









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