Our Advent Guides - On Sale Now
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:29PM Van Gogh 
Magi, Shepherds, Simeon/Anna, Mary
The theme is “God outside the camp,” but the Van Gogh cover is so engaging that we refer to it as the Van Gogh Guide. In it, you’ll meet four misfits and outcasts from the Nativity story who show that God’s channels of grace are always surprising. Van Gogh’s art and life introduces the theme followed by four other misfits for you to read about and consider. We offer three kinds of responses each week around our Urban Skye triad: pursue beauty, share burdens, learn grace. Our Van Gogh Guide is our only guide that supplies blank pages for journaling. Here is a sample of our Van Gogh guide.
The Third Way
Herod, Angels, Innkeeper, Jesus
In contrast to our more natural “fight or flight” response to life, Jesus modeled a different way to live that neither returns violence for violence nor runs from the fight. We borrow the language of The Third Way and trace its origin through the Nativity Story. How and why Jesus came into the world – the Incarnation – is our life-lesson in this guide. Each week unfolds the theme through a character in the story and offers a reflection question for individuals or groups, an active response, and we suggest further readings. We also highlight a provocative quote and one of Jesus’ beatitudes. Here is a sample of our Third Way guide.
Thin Places 
Mary/Elizabeth, Zechariah, Shepherds, Simeon
The Celtic Saints of old understood that the distance between heaven and earth was often “thin” in certain, sacred places. God was so close you could feel The Presence! We discovered four such thin places in the four exclamations, or poems, of the Nativity story. Each week we tell the story and then relate it to a particular Celtic practice we call The Celtic Way. Then we offer a Celtic prayer and two or three ways to cultivate your own thin place. Kid’s will not only enjoy this guide but have a lot to offer the adults in how to connect with the God of Thin Places! Here is a sample of our Thin Places guide.
Primary Colors
The Transcendence of Advent. - SOLD OUT - TRANSCENDENCE means “beyond the normal limits” and the Nativity is full of things far beyond normal. Three transcendent virtues capture us as they have captured wisdom writers throughout the ages: TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY. They are like God’s “primary colors” for creating life, all used on a palette of GRACE. In our latest Advent Guide, we will look at the origins and intentions of this Triad of Transcendence as seen in the Nativity. The guided response each week connects us with The Story as well as our own and we provide a fun reflection on color to match our most colorful guide. You’ll also enjoy our first CHRISTMAS EVE devotion. Here is a sample of our Primary Colors guide.
Orders
Purchase our Advent Guides via Paypal. The guides cost $4.00 or $4.50, plus shipping.
If you are in the Denver area, we can arrange for local pick-up. For bulk orders or any questions email dave@urbanskye.org
Include name, mailing address, phone, email, how many and which guides.
