9 lessons is a wonderful new flash animation from jon birch of asbojesus fame. it is incredibly simple an idea. run the flash file (in a browser or flash player) and there are 9 animating loops corresponding to each of the nine lessons and carols from the traditional christmas service. but here’s the brilliant part – each one loops for as long as you like while you do the reading and whatever else. then you simply click on the play button in the corner to move on to the next image. it’s only £2.99 and is this year’s offering from proost into the ever expanding creative melee of ideas as the worldwide body of christ goes crazy to celebrate the coming of jesus the god/human into the world.

proost actually now have an amazing selection of advent ideas and resources. if you’ve not come across them have a look at the following:

nine – nine artists interpret the traditional nine readings with 6 movies and 3 songs 

25 – si smith’s amazing cutout and make nativity characters and advent calendar and comic

wait – vaux’s simple but powerful movie and liturgy on waiting in advent 

silent night – a movie that’s ideal for pretty much any christmas service 

then of course lots of liturgies and songs on the advent theme elsewhere in the books and audio sections…

it’s probably obvious but these resources are as useable round a meal table or in your lounge with a family and friends as they are in a worship service. use with creativity and imagination!

did i ever mention that if you sibscribe to proost you get access to all the back content and the coming year whenever you like for the equivalent of five pounds a month?! 😉

anyway hope your own creative juices are flowing and that of your communities. i’ll be blogging other ideas and stuff that’s out there as the weeks go by.

i am making 9 lessons a worship trick – no 75 in the third series – as i love it so much.

[update: jon has added it to youtube if you want to take a look]