Kirjahaku

Grace means acceptance—free, unconditional, total. And when grace abounds, human life thrives. Grace is no mere theological abstraction. Grace is life. Unfortunately, grace is also rare. The surest avenue to that “amazing grace” is prayer. Prayer is the grace-response of human beings encountering the awesome mystery of God. Prayer is the expression and yearning of grace. Prayer is the language of grace. Throughout human history people have used various postures for prayer: folded hands, open hands, crossed arms, linked arms, upraised arms. The postures of prayer, when combined with the graceful attributes of Gratitude, Release, Acceptance, Commitment and Enjoyment offer a practical opportunity to tap into the richness of G.R.A.C.E. Prayer, the postures of prayer, and grace form a kind of trinity that expresses the ineffable spiritual language of faith.

I love this church and its liturgy and know that something very valuable is weekly unappreciated by millions of us. That ""something"" in the author's preface is the Lutheran liturgy. Understanding that liturgy is ""the work of the people in worshiping God."" Dennis R. Fakes presents this volume that will assist lay people and clergy to understand and appreciate the powerful messages of the liturgy. Uses for this book include: Worship or new member classes Worship and music committee workshops A sermon series A liturgy handbook for worship leaders The guided reflections for each part of the service provide a gospel-centered focus to the purpose of liturgy as it enhances richness and meaning to one's understanding of God's presence and invitation in the worship service. Paul R. Swanson, Bishop Oregon Synod, ELCA Not only a book for serious students of liturgical life, but also for the new Christian. The author has taken the hard work out of reading liturgical books written for all Lutherans, it is sensitive to all traditions. Eugene E. Schmidt, District President Kansas District-LC-MS I can visualize this book being utilized to not only introduce persons to the Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Liturgy but also to enable a far greater appreciation of the liturgy by those who may have been Lutherans for decades. Robert H. Studtmann, Bishop The Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, ELCA Dennis R. Fakes, pastor at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lindsborg, Kansas, received undergraduate degrees from St. John's College, Winfield, Kansas, and Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He holds a master's of theology degree from Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. This is his third CSS book.