Journey into the Heart of God explores the meanings and relationships of the seasons of the Church Year as they have developed and are now received and lived. This study, holding always in view the breadth and richness of the liturgical tradition of the whole Church, is illuminated by insightful liturgical texts of the Eucharist and also of the less familiar Daily Office; it also gives attention to the people''s theology expressed in hymns from a broad spectrum of traditions, ancient and modern. Careful attention to the liturgy and its setting in the turning of the seasons reveals a profound concern for ecology and for the whole cosmos. The liturgical year as it has developed through the centuries is a work of art, the collaborative achievement of many hands and minds, resulting in an extraordinarily rich fabric with layers of insight and suggestion. The work of Christ celebrated and set forth in the Church''s year is experienced not as mere recollection of past events in salvation history, but rather as a living reality, the appropriation of the mighty acts of God alive in his people, the experience today of the life that those great historical deeds have accomplished. The Church year, sifted and tested through centuries, even millennia, of use, dramatizes and makes real a way of living, recognizing, accepting, and making use of the complexity and even the strangeness of human experience. In this way it encourages honesty, humility, growth, and maturity in those who live it.
Industry Reviews
"Extraordinary! That's the only conclsuion I can come to about this informative, yet extremely devotional work...This work is worth reading and rereading as one anticipates each new liturgical season of sermon and service preparation or seeks inspiration for proclamation or choral presentation."--Concordia Theological Journal
"It is a book that one should read from cover to cover and then let sit. ...make it your companion, journeying with God through the cycle of faith. Highly Recommended."
--The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians
"An excellent book, which merits wide readership and use not only by students and teachers of the liturgical year but by pastors, preachers, and other leaders responsible for the celebration of the church's feasts, fasts, and seasons. There are many riches to be mined and I am very pleased to give it a high recommendation."--Maxwell E. Johnson, Worship
"What is offered in this book is a unique blend of liturgical history with quite profound devotional and theological commentary on the liturgical year as it is currently practiced in Roman Catholic, American Episcopal and Lutheran traditions. Particularly valuable is the inclusion of reference to hymns commonly sung at the various seasons, together with extracts from patristic homilies and other material that illuminate the relevant liturgical texts." --Canon
Paul F. Bradshaw, Professor of Liturgy, University of Notre Dame
"Philip Pfatteicher, a Professor of English and liturgical scholar, begins and ends his book with literature - from Rudyard Kipling to John Bunyan. In the pages between he takes us upon an extraordinary pilgrimage, followed by the Church each year and yet ever renewed in its life. This is a work of mature liturgical scholarship, which wears its learning lightly and never loses the wonder of the journey of the spirit, brought to life most vividly in familiar
hymns to which it repeatedly returns and brings to life afresh as the Christian drama of salvation unfolds from Advent to Advent." --Professor David Jasper, Professor of Literature and Theology,
University of Glasgow; Distinguished Overseas Professor, Renmin University of China
"Christians are a pilgrim people on the journey of faith. They are also a forgetful people who need constant reminders of their identity as God's people. In this detailed and helpful resource that utilizes liturgical texts, classic hymns, descriptions of customs, and commentary, Pfatteicher shows how the liturgical year is a reminder of the events of the Gospel, yet also makes them present as a living reality for the church today." --Karen B. Westerfield
Tucker, Professor of Worship, Boston University
"Journey into the Heart of God views the liturgy through a musician's (or worship leader's) eyes. This book will be an indispensible resource for leaders in the liturgical tradition and those in non-liturgical traditions wanting to recapture some of the rich historical tradition of the liturgy. Students and laypeople wanting to better understand the liturgy will also find it a tremendous tool." --Artistic Theologian
"Extraordinary! That's my conclusion about this informative, yet extremely devotional work. Pfatteicher drew me into the conversation and liturgical pilgrimage with his winsome writing style an ddeeply spiritual commentaries. I found myself singing the hymns he so revently noted as I gathered sermonic ideas for future preaching opportunities. This work is worth reading and rereading as one anticipates each liturgical season of sermon - and service-preparation
or seeks inspiration for proclamation or choral presentation." --Lutheran Quarterly