Sophia and Daughters Revisited - eBooks.

A powerful and imaginative collection of reflections, prayers, and dramatic monologues that bring to life the often-overlooked stories of biblical and historical women for worship and personal devotion.

A practical and inspiring resource that will help you:

• Explore the lives and voices of 35 biblical women through creative reflections
• Enrich worship services with ready-to-use dramatic readings and dialogues
• Engage in personal or group study with feminist theological perspectives
• Access prayers and liturgies for a wide range of occasions and seasons
• Bring attention to important but neglected stories of biblical and historical women
• Deepen understanding of women’s roles in scripture and church history
• Support inclusive and justice-focused worship in a Southern Hemisphere context

Features

• Creative retellings of women’s stories from the Bible, from Eve to Joanna
• New reflections on figures such as Tamar, Vashti, Jephthah’s Daughter, and Susanna Wesley
• A wide range of prayers and liturgies for personal devotion and public worship
• Resources for seasonal services, including Advent, Lent, and Disability Sunday
• Comprehensive lists and study guides for individuals and groups

eBook formats: PDF, ePub, Mobi (196pp)
ISBNs
PDF 9781988572130
ePub/Mobi 9781988572154 / 9781988572147
Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2019)

Description

Sophia and Daughters Revisited is a bold and imaginative collection of reflections, prayers, and dramatic readings that celebrate and reclaim the voices of women in scripture and church history. In this expanded and updated edition, Rosalie Sugrue—an experienced New Zealand lay preacher and educator—brings to life the stories of 35 biblical women, alongside inspiring narratives of four notable women from outside the Bible, including Susanna Wesley and Lenna Button.

This resource-rich volume is ideal for worship leaders, preachers, and small groups looking for feminist theological perspectives and creative material for services or study. The book offers powerful reflections and dialogues perfect for reading aloud during sermon time, lectionary services, or group discussions. Rosalie addresses difficult topics such as rape, incest, and societal exclusion, offering compassionate insights into the lives of biblical women often silenced or marginalised.

The collection includes prayers for children, families, teamwork, and inclusion, as well as seasonal liturgies for Advent, Lent, Bible Sunday, and Disability Sunday. A comprehensive alphabetical index of over 110 biblical women, alongside lists of biblical kings and queens, makes this a valuable reference tool for ongoing study.

Whether you are a worship leader seeking fresh resources, a preacher wanting to highlight women’s stories in scripture, or a seeker longing for spiritual connection through feminist theology, Sophia and Daughters Revisited offers thought-provoking material to inform, inspire, and enrich your faith journey.

About the Author

Rosalie Reynolds Sugrue is a fifth-generation West Coaster and a lifelong Methodist lay preacher. A past president of the NZ Lay Preachers’ Association and inaugural facilitator of the Methodist Lay Preachers Network, Rosalie has led countless services across New Zealand and the UK. A retired psychiatric nurse, teacher, and motellier, Rosalie remains active in preaching and social justice advocacy. Her deep commitment to exploring women’s stories and advancing inclusive theology shines through in her writing and ministry.

Contents

• Introduction
• Prayer for Women
  Spiritual Women
  Sophia, Sarah, Miriam, Mahlah & Sisters, Hannah, Abigail, Esther, An Unknown Wife, Priscilla, Eunice
  
  Spirited Women
  Eve and the Snake, Rebekah, Rahab, Achsah, Deborah, Wife of Manoah, The Medium at Endor, Bathsheba, Jezebel, Vashti, The Canaanite Woman, Martha
  
  Dispirited Women
  Dinah, Tamar, Naomi, Michal
  
  Spirit Filled Women
  Hagar, Leah, Jephthah’s Daughter, The Little Hebrew Maid, Elizabeth, Anna, A Woman at the Synagogue, A Woman of the Streets, Joanna, Lydia
  
  Other Notable People
  Oded, Argula von Grumbach, Susanna Wesley, Lenna Button, Ann Turner
  
  
• Bible Queens and Kings
• Alphabet of Bible Women
• Alphabet of Bible Men
• Bible Names in Māori
• Bible Names in Latter Days
  
  Additional Resources
• Resources with a Female Focus
• For Study Groups
• Seasonal Liturgies, Prayers and Reflections
• References & Acknowledgements
• Index of Women Named in this Book
• About the Author