tradition
The First Sunday of Advent
Known as the ‘hope of the prophets,’ this first marker of Advent is a reminder that God does not ignore our world’s darkness and that we strain toward a future hope not yet realized.
Most people in the U.S. are at least vaguely acquainted with the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, if only from popular culture references or the cult classic movie Tombstone.
Palm Sunday: The Grand Set Up for Disappointment
Ash Wednesday: From Dust Unto Dust
A strange little holiday is coming up, and if you haven’t celebrated it before, should you and how would you?
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Lent: What Is It, and Why Bother?
This particular holiday is commonly assumed to be a Catholic one, but it has far older roots in the earliest beginnings of the church and has clear modern day relevance for God’s people.
A group of avowed agnostics decided to observe Lent, “atheist Lent” as they put it.
Celebrating Christmas in India
Believers around the world are gathering together not only to remember the Savior’s birth and his promise of eternal redemption but also to care for the widow and orphan.
In preparation for Christmas, our partners in India hold skits where children in their orphanage, and any from the neighborhood who want to participate, have the chance to act out the Christmas story.
Taking St. Nick Off the Naughty List
Santa is a potentially controversial figure among Christians, but perhaps there’s a better perspective we could take on his story.
Perhaps no Christmas figure is more maligned that Saint Nicholas.
The man who began as a generous church leader, trying to inspire others to care for the poor, evolved into a magical sprite in a reindeer-drawn sled used by parents to bribe children into obedience.
Advent: The Adoration of the Magi
Worshiping and delighting in Jesus at Christmas sounds all well and good, but how do we find the time and the right frame of mind to do this amid the holiday chaos?
In 1480, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the Augustinian monks of San Donato. He completed detailed drawings of the painting’s figures and scene, but then he left the city.
The painting would be finished years later by an unknown artist.
“Fir” Noël: The Redemption of a Christmas Tree
Advent: Shepherd Boys and Angel Choirs
While we’re plowing through the everyday duties, we may not feel like we’re doing anything special, but we could be with the right perspective.
Philippians 4:4 could be considered the anthem of the third Sunday in Advent. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT).