Gifts of the Mother
An Advent Journey with the Sacred Feminine
- Bible Studies & Devotionals
- Publisher: Broadleaf Books (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Reconnect with the feminine God who has been there all along. For Mary, mother of Jesus, everything changed when the angel Gabriel appeared to announce that she had been chosen to birth the promised Messiah. With her courageous Yes, Mary came to embody the spirit of the Sacred Feminine by participating in the work of incarnation--God's creative work of combining matter and spirit. Traditional understandings of the Trinity cause Christians to frequently think of God in solely masculine terms. But Scripture tells us that God possesses both masculine and feminine attributes. Gifts of the Mother, a five-week devotional for the Advent season--or any season of transition--serves as a loving remedy to this limited understanding of God. Following the season's liturgical themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and Christ in the World, Gifts of the Mother invites you into a transformative devotional journey of sacred imagination. Through prayer practices inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, you will encounter aspects of God that are rarely explored but are important, and without which Christmas is incomplete. As you travel with Mary through the Christmas story, you will witness the Sacred Feminine's role in birthing the full image of God into the world in the person of Jesus Christ. At the end of your journey, you will have gained a more expansive and complete image of God and will be left with a renewed sense of the Divine Mother's work of incarnation.
Endorsements (5)
“This Advent guide to prayer is both timely and wonderfully edifying, leading readers through an integrative experience of daily prayer based on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises but informed by a powerful vision of God our Mother. Highly recommended!”
“Sabra Engelbrecht invites readers into a gentle, more embodied Christian story. She creates space for prayer, imagination, and feminine wisdom that many were taught to distrust and despise. This book compassionately speaks to those who love and long to retain their faith, while confronting the harm and limitations of the church that formed them. It offers hope through peaceful presence, rather than pressure to try harder or be more perfect.”
“Advent has become one of those seasons I want to celebrate more honestly, but my old devotionals feel disconnected. Gifts of the Mother is what I've been longing for: a practical, deep, and compassionate companion to enter into Christmas alongside Mary--as an archetype of the Sacred Feminine. Sabra Engelbrecht doesn't ask us to admire the Divine Mother, but to learn her way--birthing and tending new life with empathy at a collective moment when it is most needed.”
“The best books are often those we first write for ourselves and then offer to the world. Englebrecht has given us such a book in Gifts of the Mother, inviting readers into deeper intimacy with the Sacred Feminine at the heart of Christian faith. Poetic and wise, clear and kind, this devotional offers a necessary gift to the church and to the season of Advent. It is for all who long for a faith that defies the limits of masculinity and opens heart, mind, body, and spirit to the Divine Feminine, who has always been, is now, and forever will be.”
“This lovely book invites the reader into a profoundly important journey--that of reclaiming the Sacred Feminine in their lives. Full of meaningful ways to pray, these Advent devotions are a rich feast to companion us through the days of sacred waiting and holy birthing.”
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