Listening to the Music of the Soul
The Archbishop of York's Advent Book 2025
Format:Paperback
Publisher:SPCK Publishing
Publishing:18th Sep '25
£10.99
This title is due to be published on 18th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
The Archbishop of York's Advent Book 2025
'The quest for authenticity has been a hallmark of Guli's journey since she arrived in this country as a refugee forty years ago... She has an extraordinary ability to hear the music not only of the soul but of the future, and emboldens us to dance to it today.' BISHOP ROBERT ATWELL When it comes to inhabiting life fully, Mary is surely one of our greatest role models. 'My soul magnifies the Lord,' she sings in the Magnificat. Her spirited response to the Angel Gabriel's announcement that she is to bear the son of God is rich in nuance, contradiction and paradox. These very characteristics inspire Bishop Guli to make connections between the themes of Advent and her own experiences - and to invite us to do the same. Bishop Guli's forced exile from her homeland has echoes of the flight into Egypt; the murder of her brother Bahram during the Iranian Revolution of the slaughter of the innocents. She writes intriguingly of how angels continue speaking to us today; how fear can prevent us from living well in the present; how pain and loss can be transformed by the power of beauty. Deepening its resonance, each chapter is linked to a piece of music, prompting us to consider: what are the enduring melodies that sustain us as the vibrant stories of our lives unfold?
"A deeply personal and poignant accompaniment to Advent, this book is a balm to the soul. Bishop Guli leads us on a journey of music and Scripture with a multilayered depth that provides room for both questioning and a lasting hope." -- Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL
"The quest for authenticity has been a hallmark of Guli's journey since she arrived in this country as a refugee forty years ago. She enters with tenderness the places "where beauty and pain reside together and where we encounter God." She has an extraordinary ability to hear the music not only of the soul but of the future, and emboldens us to dance to it today." -- Robert Atwell, former Bishop of Exeter on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL
"This beautiful book is infused with explorations into identity, belonging, and worth - as any book to be read through Advent should be. The Advent desire to be touched back into life, a call to be drawn to the native tranquillity of the soul, is given a textual music here. To read it is to find yourself wanting to listen with a refreshed depth worthy of the gift of life." -- Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL
"This is a very personal book of reflections on themes for Advent, and yet, at the same time, it makes space for each reader to enter into their own attention to the powerful, peaceful, challenging and joyful action of God in Christ. There are riches to be found in every chapter - books to follow up, writers and speakers to explore and, above all, music to listen to. There is nothing sentimental here, but there is fearless emotion and boundless hope." -- Jane Williams, McDonald Professor in Christian Theology at St Mellitus College on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL
"One of the men who unknowingly taught me to preach many years ago said that all good preachers were at heart good plagiarists. Come Eastertide, I shall be stealing material from this book in abundance." -- Church Times on STATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION
ISBN: 9780281091331
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
128 pages