New Book: Advent to Ashes, Volume I
Dr. Jack Van Marion and I have been teaching The Christian Year (DWS 703) as spiritual formation since June 2000. I have served as a minister of music for over forty years in various churches throughout the country. In 2005, I was serving for one year in a startup church to help the church make a strong beginning. That one year turned into seven years during which time I became more involved in teaching and preaching. I had a passion to help the church grow deeper in its spiritual formation.
It seemed that people were looking for something with theological depth to guide them through the Advent season. Too often the commercially developed Advent materials touched only the surface, but our parishioners were eager for more depth. A walk through the Christian Year gives us a Holy Spirit perspective on the sacred nature of time. The Christian life is about burrowing deeper and deeper into our faith. I decided to write a daily devotional book for the Advent season. We grew from printing these booklets for the congregation, to offering free email subscriptions. The list grew to 1,000 subscribers from around the world. In response to requests to write for the entire year, and after prayer, I’ve written a new book, Advent to Ashes, Vol.1, (also available in e-book) which covers each day from Advent to Ash Wednesday. It is the first of four anticipated volumes which will cover the entire Christian Year.
Each devotional begins with a passage of Scripture, often from the lectionary. I endeavor to show the unity of the whole of Scripture, pointing out how Jesus is related to the passage regardless of the Testament. I then seek a contemporary application asking the question, how will the reader live out this passage? And what difference will it make in their future? The third component is a classical to contemporary vocal or choral musical offering chosen for each day from some of the best musicians and ensembles worldwide which are accessible via a QR code. Then, the devotional concludes with a prayer from a past saint or current sinner. Each book is crafted to match the season no matter the date when Advent begins or Easter falls, reaching through 2075. So it’s never out of date.
I’m grateful that Bob Webber asked Jack and me to teach DWS 703 twenty-five years ago. The class has so enriched my life and continues to reform me. This writing is simply a practical outgrowth and application of what we teach. I am prayerful that these books will deepen one’s relationship with Jesus, that people will take time to encounter him every day, and that they will take time to be introduced to glorious music of all kinds from around the world and to prayers from centuries of Christians. Time on earth is brief and encountering Jesus each day is essential with eternal consequences. My hope is that this book will contribute to this end.