Nebraska Synod ELCA

Augsburg Fortress is sharing new resources for the Advent Season to help cultivate community in families and churches as well as within the larger community. Some of these resources help us to explore why there is division in community. Others help us look at how communities worked for reconciliation and justice. Advent resources help us strengthen our own faith communities.

Resources can be used for book discussions, Bible Studies, family devotions and conversation or personal reflection.

Post-Election Resources:

As we strive to live in a post-election world and to understand other viewpoints, check out The Violent Take it by Force, written by Matthew D. Taylor. Kristen Kobes DeMez (author of Jesus and John Wayne) says this book is “required reading for anyone seeking to understand Christian Nationalism.” The author explains the Christian Nationalism movement and how it happened. Other books in this series include How to End Christian Nationalism and Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism.

Justice Resources:

Ashes to Action: Finding Myself at the Intersection of the Minneapolis Uprising by Sheri Seifert is Siefert’s first-person account of the events following the murder of George Floyd. “One block away stood Calvary Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation whose members had engaged in racial justice work for years.  In Ashes to Action, Shari Seifert provides her riveting first-person account of the events following May 25, 2020. Shari joined others in the Calvary community to show up, listen, and ask what was needed in the moment. As the lines between her congregation and neighborhood blurred, the way toward a faithful response became clearer. This personal narrative stays rooted in the context of community, immersing readers in the days, weeks, and months following the uprising.” (from Augsburg Fortress website).

Other resources include See Me, Believe Me: A Guide to Deepen Allyship with Congregational Leaders of Color and The Sandbox Revolution, Raising Kids for a Just World.

Advent Resources:

Cultivate community in your family with the Families Celebrate Advent and Christmas cards. This deck of cards has rituals, prayers, and reflections for the Advent season. It’s not dated so you can use it year after year to create faithful traditions in your family. You can also order Great News, Great Joy: Devotions for Advent and Christmas, which provides daily devotions centered around scripture readings.

Note: Bulk discounts are available on both resources if you decide to order them as a congregation.

All resources are available from https://www.augsburgfortress.org/. Enter the title in the search bar to go directly to the resource or click on the categories at the top of the webpage. to explore more resources.