Vicki K. Black – författare

From birthday cakes and anniversary dinners to summer vacations at the beach, each family has its own ways of marking the days and seasons of its life. For the Christian family—especially Episcopalians—it’s no different. With an array of colors and an assortment of rich traditions, Episcopalians move through the Church year, marking the days and seasons that tell the story of Christ in our lives—in history and today.

This book—written for newcomers to the Episcopal Church as well as lifelong members—takes readers by the hand and leads them through the Church year, from the first Sunday of Advent through the last Sunday of Pentecost, answering questions like “Why do we use purple in Lent?” and “What does Maundy Thursday mean?” In an easy-to-read conversational style, Welcome to the Church Year introduces readers to the traditions of the Church seasons and explains why we do what we do. But it does more than offer interesting trivia about church vestments and pageantry. Its insights can help readers participate in the liturgies of the Church year in a deeper, more meaningful way.

A guide to a deeper understanding and richer relationship to the Book of Common Prayer, and a more profound faith.

In this guide for newcomers as well as lifelong Episcopalians, author Vicki Black helps readers navigate the currents of Anglican liturgy and discover its richness and beauty. As we use the Book of Common Prayer, Black says, “we discover we are not alone, and this liturgical current of worship, prayer, and praise will indeed take us where we want to go–union with the God we seek to love.”

Welcome to the Book of Common Prayer shows readers everything from where to find the Sunday collect to how to pray the Daily Office. But it’s more than a how-to. It offers history and background that help make the prayer book a more meaningful part of the worship life of individuals and congregations. With thoughtful reflection questions, this is a perfect volume for parish study groups.

New Episcopalians may be nervous about opening the Bible; others simply don''t know how to begin. An often-overlooked gift of the Episcopal Church is that the texts and doctrines of the Bible are embedded in its prayers, liturgies, and creeds. Making that knowledge explicit and placing it in context can open the way for further and more in-depth study.

The flourishing website EpiscopalCafe.org produced by the Diocese of Washington attracts several thousand visitors a day. Its popular column “Speaking to the Soul,” which contains a concise, well-developed spiritual reflection for every day of the year, draws from many different sources, including scripture, church history, saints’ biographies, books of prayers, liturgies, and ancient and contemporary theologians and spiritual writers.

This daily reader grew out of that column. It follows the Episcopal Church’s liturgical seasons and includes observation of major feast days as well as saints’ days.

The reading for a particular saint’s day might be taken from the saint’s writings, prayers, or biography, or might develop a theme such as martyrdom or growth in the spirit. Other readings focus on particular emphases of the seasons (the Incarnation during Advent and Christmas; spiritual disciplines during Lent); or speak more generally to the Christian life (prayer, discipleship, ministry, the sacraments, conflict and reconciliation, and so on).

Readings are taken from every century of the church’s life, with particular attention to how the writings and experiences of earlier Christians can shed light on the difficulties, joys, and concerns of the church today. Excerpts are long enough to give a satisfying and complete context of the writer’s intended meaning.