Beyond Smells and Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy is for anyone who has ever wanted to understand what's so great about a liturgical service!
After reading it, Father Rooster and I agreed that this is a perfect primer on liturgy, the book to recommend when asked to explain the appeal of a liturgical service. Mark Galli writes in a way that is easy to understand, yet is rich in theology and thorough in its examination of the many beautiful facets of liturgy.
The chapter titles give such a helpful idea of what's in this little book. There's Cosmic Daytimer: How the Liturgical Calendar Can Bring Order to Our Lives; Bizarre, Holy Moments: How the Liturgy Reshapes Our Sense of Time; We Worship a Material Savior: Why the Liturgy Engages the Whole Body; and If You Don't Get It, You've Got It: The Liturgy as a Mystery Full of Meaning--plus ten other chapters! Each is short but filled with quotations, history, theology, and the author's own experiences and insights.
The Appendices are most helpful as well. Appendix A explains terms from a liturgical service, such as collect, creed, lesson and acclamation. Appendix B contrasts Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian liturgies. The Christian year is described in Appendix C.
A highly recommended resource.
Friday, March 06, 2009
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5 comments:
Thanks for the review. I would love to understand more about liturgical services. I'll have to add this to my wish list. Blessings -B.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Thanks for the review! Do you think it would be helpful to someone outside a liturgical church? We've been looking for a good book to help our extended family (Baptist)understand our church service more.
Amy,
Oh yes! It would be very helpful and accessible. He's not out to convert anyone, especially, either, just to explain the appeal. Let me know what you/they think!
~Jeanne
Jeanne,
Thanks for the kind words about my book. If any of your readers have questions about it, I'm happy to try to answer them.
--Mark - mark.galli@gmail.com
p.s. Thanks for your hospitality this weekend!
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