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Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals
Mary Had a An Advent Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals , written by Marilyn E. Thornton with material from the first edition by Cheryl Kirk-Duggan. Mary Had a Baby has four sessions, one for each week of Advent, and is perfect for small groups, Sunday school, midweek sessions, and choir workshops. Each lesson includes Scripture, song lyrics, devotional and contextual information, and discussion questions to stimulate deepening faith and a sense of community. The book includes leader helps. The four spirituals featured in Mary Had a Baby are “Mary Had a Baby,” “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow,” “Children, Go Where I Send Thee, “ and “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.” A mp3 file of the four songs is available free with purchase of the study.
- GenresReligion
48 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 7, 2022
4 stars - English hardcover
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
December 23, 2020
Read for an African-American-themed Bible Advent study with a group of friends. Brings in a necessary reflection of the lives and history of African-Americans and allows us to compare it to their situation today. An absolutely necessary read for any Christian dedicated to racial justice and remembering the purpose of both the Virgin Mary and Jesus' lives and teachings, and also the importance of Advent.
January 3, 2019
Used for an adult Sunday class during Advent in a small black church. Generally good for provoking reflection and discussion. The writing and ideas were pitched at a good level.
We thought the book was supposed to come with a recording of the spirituals discussed, but I was not able to access that. (We bought the books through Amazon b/c Abingdon was too slow--perhaps you only get the recordings by buying direct from the publisher?) It was easy enough to find good performances of the spirituals on youtube. But in a couple cases the lyrics alleged in the book were not the common ones, and we could not find versions of the songs that had the alleged lyrics. Spirituals, like blues no doubt, have a variety of lyrics, and no canonical form--which makes it difficult to find appropriate examples when stress is put upon certain lyrics. E.g., the first spiritual was "Mary had a Baby" and the book claims (p. 7) that the refrain ends with: "The people keep a-coming and the train done gone." We did not find that.
Each chapter offered some history and tied the spiritual to some contemporary issue. This was good.
We thought the book was supposed to come with a recording of the spirituals discussed, but I was not able to access that. (We bought the books through Amazon b/c Abingdon was too slow--perhaps you only get the recordings by buying direct from the publisher?) It was easy enough to find good performances of the spirituals on youtube. But in a couple cases the lyrics alleged in the book were not the common ones, and we could not find versions of the songs that had the alleged lyrics. Spirituals, like blues no doubt, have a variety of lyrics, and no canonical form--which makes it difficult to find appropriate examples when stress is put upon certain lyrics. E.g., the first spiritual was "Mary had a Baby" and the book claims (p. 7) that the refrain ends with: "The people keep a-coming and the train done gone." We did not find that.
Each chapter offered some history and tied the spiritual to some contemporary issue. This was good.
December 30, 2023
Bottomline: Excellent Advent study. Out of the norm.
If you want to do something different for Advent, give this one a go. The weekly readings are very manageable. The topics are relevant to the world of today. I read this as part of an all white female bible study group. Did a good job making us think outside our daily lives. I would highly recommend this to anyone though it is geared towards African American women.
If you want to do something different for Advent, give this one a go. The weekly readings are very manageable. The topics are relevant to the world of today. I read this as part of an all white female bible study group. Did a good job making us think outside our daily lives. I would highly recommend this to anyone though it is geared towards African American women.
December 30, 2021
Helped with my cultural understanding. Prompted me to read more about leaders of civil rights movement- Fannie Lou Hamer, in particular. Studied this book in a group of (white) women and discussion was rich and revealing . Although all found it hard to relate at first, we all gained a fresh perspective.
January 11, 2024
I was unable to attend the Bible study my church ran this past advent using this book, but I was interested, so I borrowed it when they were done. I think this would make a good discussion. I enjoyed the mix of music, biblical reflection, and US history. Each lesson is brief, giving understandably limited detail so as to leave more time for discussion, but very thought-provoking.
June 24, 2019
Not just for lent.
I loved this book. Powerful meditations that will bring you peace. Sing along and witness the mighty hand of God.
I loved this book. Powerful meditations that will bring you peace. Sing along and witness the mighty hand of God.
December 21, 2020
Fantastic Advent Read
February 1, 2021
A really wonderful Advent study! I was surprised that, although the book is tiny, there's so much content! Great historical perspective as well as challenges to action.
Want to read
November 3, 2022Christ United Methodist Church, Advent Bible Study
October 31, 2016
4 week study of:
Mary Had a Baby
Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow
Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Go, Tell it on the Mountain
contextual and relevant.
Mary Had a Baby
Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow
Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Go, Tell it on the Mountain
contextual and relevant.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews