This Period of Waiting

by Natarsha Sanders Advent is not the most wonderful time of the year. At least not for everyone.There are songs to sing, plays to rehearse, goodies to bake, halls to deck, lessons to plan, candles to light, gifts to wrap, emotions to manage, weight to watch. Travel....
For You I Wait: Lament in Advent

For You I Wait: Lament in Advent

by David Gambrell The voice of lament resounds throughout the witness of Scripture. The five books of Moses, or Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy), center on the cry of God’s people for deliverance from captivity: “The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out....
God Loves Circles

God Loves Circles

Rodger Nishioka, plenary speaker and preacher God loves circles. Look around. Start with the sun and the moon. Envision the planets moving in their orbits. From the grand and expansive universe, focus on the minute spherical nucleus of the atom. God loves circles....
Advent Practices During Covid-Times

Advent Practices During Covid-Times

Doodle Harris Zephaniah 3:17-18 assures us that even though we are feeling exiled and broken, God is rejoicing over us, renewing us, and restoring us with “loud singing.” I love this idea of God singing loudly with us as I think about Advent. My favorite songs, both...

Advent: What Are We Waiting For?

Kathy L. Dawson Advent is coming. No, really, Advent means “the coming” from its Latin roots. This begs the question of who is coming. Of course, we are likely to answer, “Jesus,” but here is where it gets complicated. Is this the first coming of baby Jesus, with...

How Do We Live in Advent Hope?

The hope of Advent seems distant and unattainable. How do we live in hope when it’s not here yet? Perhaps this Advent we are called to a more robust version of hope. Biblical hope is never simplistic, never wishful thinking.

Time Out!

Time Out!

Sometimes in hockey, baseball, or another sport, the coach looks at what’s happening on the field (often when things aren’t going the way they intended) and realizes that things need to change, so they call “TIME OUT!” With these words, the team heads to the bench for...
For Lent: A Litany of Confessing

For Lent: A Litany of Confessing

We confess, O God, that the world is a mess of our own making. We have worshipped the idols of power and money at the expense of those you created in your own image. In so doing, we have suppressed the image of God. This way is not your way.   We confess, O God,...