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Hallelujah: A Journey through Advent with Handel's Messiah
Reflections from Cindy Rollins, with essays by Karen Kern, Brian Phillips, Greg Wilbur, David Kern, Lynn Bruce, & Kerry Williamson.
Celebrate Advent like never before, using these weekly and daily tools, all built around Handel's famous "Messiah" - one of the most lovely and important pieces of music ever composed.
Included in this handbook:
• Daily Guide to Listening to Handel’s Messiah
• Daily Scripture Readings
• Poems & Passages to Memorize Each Week
• Christmas Recipes
• Advent Hymns to Sing Together
• And Much More!
Celebrate Advent like never before, using these weekly and daily tools, all built around Handel's famous "Messiah" - one of the most lovely and important pieces of music ever composed.
Included in this handbook:
• Daily Guide to Listening to Handel’s Messiah
• Daily Scripture Readings
• Poems & Passages to Memorize Each Week
• Christmas Recipes
• Advent Hymns to Sing Together
• And Much More!
96 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 12, 2017
As of this minute, I am the only person who has read this, me and the copy editor :)
It made me pretty happy to realize that I could get credit for reading this, on my reading goal, since it took a lot of my reading time away this year.
I am going to give it 4 stars because I loved writing it and it was a labor of love, and 5 stars seems a little self-congratulatory.
It made me pretty happy to realize that I could get credit for reading this, on my reading goal, since it took a lot of my reading time away this year.
I am going to give it 4 stars because I loved writing it and it was a labor of love, and 5 stars seems a little self-congratulatory.
December 20, 2018
When I was 16 years old my Pastor's wife invited me to join her to hear The Voices of Omaha perform the Messiah. I was smitten, and always hoped that someday I might be able to participate as a singer.
This was my year. I am now 62 years old, and had the opportunity to sing with The Voices of Omaha in their 50th production. What a thrill!
But it was a little overwhelming, as a newbie, to learn all the music.I wanted it to become a permanent possession, not just something I did with my voice, but also with my soul. This book helped me in that endeavor.
Breaking the Messiah down into bite sized bits for daily devotional consumption is a great way to assimilate this large composition. Listening to the musical pieces in conjunction with the scripture readings adds another layer of appreciation and depth.
Also included are various guest posts, contributing ideas for creating lovely family traditions for Advent.
Cindy Rollins was someone who enriched me during my 19 years of homeschooling my four children. I loved her blog and various articles she wrote. I would have enjoyed using this book during our Morning Circle times as a way of instilling a greater appreciation for one of the great gems of our Western culture. I still enjoyed using it "solo" this season and it helped the music to become a very part of me. Thank you Cindy!
This was my year. I am now 62 years old, and had the opportunity to sing with The Voices of Omaha in their 50th production. What a thrill!
But it was a little overwhelming, as a newbie, to learn all the music.I wanted it to become a permanent possession, not just something I did with my voice, but also with my soul. This book helped me in that endeavor.
Breaking the Messiah down into bite sized bits for daily devotional consumption is a great way to assimilate this large composition. Listening to the musical pieces in conjunction with the scripture readings adds another layer of appreciation and depth.
Also included are various guest posts, contributing ideas for creating lovely family traditions for Advent.
Cindy Rollins was someone who enriched me during my 19 years of homeschooling my four children. I loved her blog and various articles she wrote. I would have enjoyed using this book during our Morning Circle times as a way of instilling a greater appreciation for one of the great gems of our Western culture. I still enjoyed using it "solo" this season and it helped the music to become a very part of me. Thank you Cindy!
December 27, 2017
I loved the personal touches of this book and getting a glimpse inside other homes and how they celebrate the season of Advent. The scripture readings paired with Handel’s Messiah were the icing on the cake.
December 31, 2018
I was raised in the soil of Handel's Messiah, nurtured and cultivated on the cadences and curlicues of that glorious oratorio. I can't remember a time when the Hallelujah Chorus didn't course through my veins.
This Advent devotional is a winsome guide to families who may not had the same upbringing. In her signature style, Cindy Rollins gives a view of what it might look like without pressing the stress of expectations on the reader. The best thing ever? Each day has the minutes it will take to read and listen to that day's selection. Most are ten minutes or less.
I especially appreciate that she takes a long view of inculcating the true, good, and beautiful into our children's and grandchildren's Advent/Christmas. If [tradition A] didn't happen this year...relax! You have next year to pick it up. I call it the drip-drip method: small drops of daily care parceled out consistently will have long-lasting effect.
This Advent devotional is a winsome guide to families who may not had the same upbringing. In her signature style, Cindy Rollins gives a view of what it might look like without pressing the stress of expectations on the reader. The best thing ever? Each day has the minutes it will take to read and listen to that day's selection. Most are ten minutes or less.
I especially appreciate that she takes a long view of inculcating the true, good, and beautiful into our children's and grandchildren's Advent/Christmas. If [tradition A] didn't happen this year...relax! You have next year to pick it up. I call it the drip-drip method: small drops of daily care parceled out consistently will have long-lasting effect.
December 31, 2018
12/30/18 We decided to use this guide through the Messiah again this year for Advent, and I think I enjoyed it even more this time around. And even though we didn't get it finished this year on Christmas day, it's really flexible and quite perfect for listening to during the 12 days of Christmas as well.
12/17 Just finished reading this lovely little resource for Advent structured around the Messiah. It's easy to use, well-organized, and full of fun and helpful Advent extras. We're following this guide as we listen to sections of the Messiah each night, and I'd recommend it to any family who wants to try something new for Advent.
12/17 Just finished reading this lovely little resource for Advent structured around the Messiah. It's easy to use, well-organized, and full of fun and helpful Advent extras. We're following this guide as we listen to sections of the Messiah each night, and I'd recommend it to any family who wants to try something new for Advent.
December 30, 2021
Update:
This was our fifth December where we worked through Handel's Messiah across the month. It has become a beloved family tradition. We read the scripture verses as Cindy has broken them up and then we watch a Messiah recording. It's becoming like visiting with an old friend at the end of each year.
We used this book as our guide through Handel's Messiah this year. It's a wonderful way to go through the messianic prophecies and life of Christ, while also enjoying beautiful and sometimes transporting music and singing. Breaking it up over the month makes it doable for families and even to slow down to savor all the beauty.
This was our fifth December where we worked through Handel's Messiah across the month. It has become a beloved family tradition. We read the scripture verses as Cindy has broken them up and then we watch a Messiah recording. It's becoming like visiting with an old friend at the end of each year.
We used this book as our guide through Handel's Messiah this year. It's a wonderful way to go through the messianic prophecies and life of Christ, while also enjoying beautiful and sometimes transporting music and singing. Breaking it up over the month makes it doable for families and even to slow down to savor all the beauty.
December 24, 2022
I read ahead and I am so glad I did. I loved the Christmas memories shared by Cindy Rollins and others.
We are using this for our family’s advent season. It is the best guide for advent that I have ever used. I have had more failures than successes with advent books but this one is very promising and so far successful, even if we miss a day or two.
12/28/2018
We finished well as a family and my children and I have a greater appreciation and understanding of Handel’s Messiah. We also had a very enjoyable Advent Season. Thank you, Cindy Rollins.
We are using this for our family’s advent season. It is the best guide for advent that I have ever used. I have had more failures than successes with advent books but this one is very promising and so far successful, even if we miss a day or two.
12/28/2018
We finished well as a family and my children and I have a greater appreciation and understanding of Handel’s Messiah. We also had a very enjoyable Advent Season. Thank you, Cindy Rollins.
November 27, 2018
Thank you for this book, Cindy Rollins!
I’ve used her Handel’s Messiah reading plan for two years prior but having it now in a book form versus my ugly print-outs is so handy. I loved all the added personal examples and memories and recipes to utilize in making advent more special.
I’ve used her Handel’s Messiah reading plan for two years prior but having it now in a book form versus my ugly print-outs is so handy. I loved all the added personal examples and memories and recipes to utilize in making advent more special.
December 30, 2019
Our family so enjoyed this book and it’s journey through the advent via Handel’s Messiah. I had heard about it a few years ago but was able to buy it this year. We enjoyed each day, our boys became conductors and that morphed into dinosaurs becoming conductors. I love how the book lets you grow into the advent as your family gets older, with poems, carols, recipes, etc. We just did the basic, read the scripture and listen. I loved all the stories and traditions. I didn’t know cinnamon rolls were a common Christmas morning American tradition. We always did Pofferjes from the Netherlands. I loved the emphasis on the prophets and what was foretold, the preparation for Christ, the celebration of his coming and then loved looking at the future. Very well done. It is a beautiful “helper” for Christmas time.✨
December 27, 2023
Our first time listening & reading through Handel’s Messiah & it was fun! A lot of it went over the 5yo & 7yo’s heads but for myself & the 9yo it was a gospel-rich & meaningful journey.
December 24, 2018
Highly recommended advent devotional! I love reflection and I love Handel’s Messiah!
February 15, 2018
This is the type of book that makes me wish I had been more judicious with my five-star ratings. Cindy Rollins takes you step-by-step through the entirety of Handel's Messiah with the actual Scripture texts, notes on how to best listen, and anecdotes on how to celebrate the season. She even created a youtube playlist to match each day's reading.
This book helped us do school in a way that matches my idealistic fantasies. It was a delightful study for us. My kids sang along to a live performance this Christmas thanks to our time spent in this little treasure.
This book helped us do school in a way that matches my idealistic fantasies. It was a delightful study for us. My kids sang along to a live performance this Christmas thanks to our time spent in this little treasure.
December 22, 2017
Thank you, Cindy Rollins, for such a beautiful and easy to use resource. This will certainly become a regular part of the advent season for us.
December 28, 2017
Excellent. Some great advent ideas.
December 26, 2019
I first heard about Hallelujah last year, but too late to get a copy for that advent season. So this year, I made sure to order a copy as soon as they became available.
Perhaps my children are a bit too young to really understand or appreciate this particular advent reading/listening, but it's one I plan to repeat every year for the foreseeable future. I loved listening to Handel's Messiah bit by bit, focusing on the scripture that inspired the music. The weekly hymn and poetry selections and the notes on feast days and suggestions for further celebration were a great resource--one I intend to use in much greater depth in future years.
Overall, a fabulous addition to our advent traditions. Highly recommended.
Perhaps my children are a bit too young to really understand or appreciate this particular advent reading/listening, but it's one I plan to repeat every year for the foreseeable future. I loved listening to Handel's Messiah bit by bit, focusing on the scripture that inspired the music. The weekly hymn and poetry selections and the notes on feast days and suggestions for further celebration were a great resource--one I intend to use in much greater depth in future years.
Overall, a fabulous addition to our advent traditions. Highly recommended.
December 25, 2021
I really liked going through this advent series throughout the month. While I didn’t always listen to the music selections with it, I enjoyed the times that I did. It was interesting to listen to with my kids as well and the scripture selections were also good to share as a family. It really got us talking about Old Testament prophecy this year. My favorite part of this book was the chapters with real-life suggestions about how to celebrate the season of advent with your family. I will probably read this one again!
May 31, 2024
A family Advent tradition.
December 27, 2017
There are certain pieces of music you just must know in much the same way as you must know Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. Handel's Messiah is certainly one of them. This guide was so helpful and made Advent peaceful in our house. No real planning on my part. We just sat down at breakfast every morning and read, listened, and marveled together. The small, daily portions improved my ability to contemplate the lyrics and their interaction with the music.
December 25, 2018
🌬❄️📦
Hits the spot to begin every Advent day with the music at or shortly following breakfast, an abridged Morning Time was just the thing to keep some momentum in the season of waiting.
Hits the spot to begin every Advent day with the music at or shortly following breakfast, an abridged Morning Time was just the thing to keep some momentum in the season of waiting.
December 6, 2023
Very sweet, comforting, hopeful!
December 21, 2017
I loved this book. It made it so easy to listen to Handel's Messiah! We listened to a bit every day, and were really able to appreciate it more because it was in small chunks. I also loved the added poetry and Scripture memorization which were included. I found a free version of the Messiah to stream on Amazon music, and it followed Cindy's order perfectly. We will do this next year for sure!
December 31, 2017
I decided to first do this Advent reading on my own before perhaps including my family in future years. I would recommend it to anyone who already appreciates Handel's Messiah to some degree, and especially to those who have the opportunity to hear Messiah in person during the Advent season. The reflections at the beginning of each week helped me better grasp the history and significance of the Messiah and they also provided me with great ideas for how to celebrate Advent with my young family going forward. I'm giving the book four instead of five stars for two reasons: First, I felt the daily readings a bit meager. They provide a scripture reading and the lyrics of the music you're to listen to that day, but a brief reflection (in addition to the weekly reflection) of some sort would have been nice. Secondly, because I tried the Swedish Tea Ring recipe twice and was never successful. I'm a seasoned baker, but still found the instructions a bit confusing and I'm still racking my brain as to what went wrong. Overall, this Advent reading was wonderful and it's a book I'll pull out for years to come.
December 29, 2017
I really enjoyed introducing my children to the whole Messiah with this book. I have always loved the Messiah, but I think I am the only one in my family who does! My husband even enjoyed going through this book. He always says he can never understand what the singers are singing, but reading the words each morning prior to listening was quite helpful.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the way the book was broken up into "weeks" but my weeks never fell on the beginning of a calendar week. There are 25 entries, which I assumed were to be listened to from December 1-25. Perhaps I followed it incorrectly. :)
Regardless, as a whole, it was a great Advent celebration book. We even made the recipe for the cinnamon buns for Christmas morning and they were delicious.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the way the book was broken up into "weeks" but my weeks never fell on the beginning of a calendar week. There are 25 entries, which I assumed were to be listened to from December 1-25. Perhaps I followed it incorrectly. :)
Regardless, as a whole, it was a great Advent celebration book. We even made the recipe for the cinnamon buns for Christmas morning and they were delicious.
December 28, 2018
This was my first time listening to all of Handel’s Messiah. It was a wonderful part of my advent journey this year. My kids asked every day when we’d listen to the portion of the music. I didn’t try her recipes but enjoyed reading about the Christmas traditions and celebrations that were included.
November 8, 2019
I can not recommend this book enough. It is chock-full of great advent resources and an opportunity to delve into classical music, Western culture, and the Christian tradition with your families (or students). For such a small book, there are so many things of substance and value contained therein. The poems, recipes, and scriptures are fantastic.
December 20, 2019
Helpful guide to moving through Handel's Messiah during Advent. Our family is mainly just doing the Scripture readings and listening to a little chunk each night, skipping the other stuff. I imagine that in future years we may delve into the other material that Rollins offers, but it felt overwhelming on our first go-'round.
January 9, 2020
I really enjoyed doing this with the kids during December (and trailing into January). Each day’s reading is very short, and the layout was simple, but with rich content. I think this is one of the only advent guides we have ACTUALLY completed, and I look forward to doing it again next year. My kids are currently 10, 8, 6, and 3.
December 26, 2021
I enjoyed this book this Advent, but I left me wanting more— more insights into the Scriptures and more information about Handel and Messiah. Overall, though, it was a lovely and short guide to my favorite music of all time and a wonderful addition to the Christmas season. I’m going to be on the lookout for a more in-depth study. Any recommendations?
December 27, 2021
I’ve been wanting to use this book for Advent for a few years now but busyness always made it too difficult to fit in. This year I was determined to make the time. I’m so glad I did. What a joy! This Advent season has been the most meaningful and joyful for me. This book has really helped that to happen. Thank you Cindy! ❤️
December 27, 2018
Nice resource to follow along listening to Handel’s Messiah, but I wished it had given more in depth details to listen for. There were a few sections that didn’t match the London orchestra version we selected on YouTube as well, making it sometimes hard to find our place.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews