All is Calmish: How to Feel Less Frantic and More Festive During the Holidays
In "All is Calmish," Feliciano offers gentle, practical wisdom to ease holiday stress and help families find small miracles in the season, writes Amy Pagliarella.
Good news for all the people
As social media amplifies anger, Advent invites us to practice faithful communication — words that add value, meaning and peace, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
A collect prayer for the shortest day of the year
Daniel Health offers a prayer examining sunlight and son-light for December 21, the shortest day of the year.
Sit down, and rest
The world will wear me down unless I demand otherwise, writes Dartinia Hull.
2024 Advent devotional recommendations
Wade through the overwhelming number of Advent resources with Amy Pagliarella's help.
2025 Advent devotional recommendations
Discover the best Advent devotionals for 2025. From contemplative guides to churchwide studies, Amy Pagliarella offers resources for faith, reflection, and growth.
Where is Jesus?
Asking "Where is Jesus?" can help us find love and light in unexpected places and people, writes Bobby Hulme-Lippert.
Shattered illusions and sacred encounters: A journey through the woods
In the woods, writes Karie Charlton, we find doors to new beginnings, even in the depths of winter.
Incarnation
A tritina form poem by Nadine Ellsworth-Moran on Madeleine L'Engle's Christmas quote: "Love still takes the risk of birth."
Love’s defiant song
How can the peace offered by God and the chaos of the world exist at the same time, wonders Maggie Alsup?
Moving in with Jesus: A grilled cheese parable
Eliza C. Jaremko shares some wisdom on the incarnation through the eyes of her 4-year-old.
Reckoning with violence and silence
Every Advent, I wonder: What is it like to truly live in peace? — Dartinia Hull
Christmas Beatitudes
Christian Iosso writes: "Blessed are those who have no 'home for the holidays,' without jobs or funds to buy gifts, who have outlived their friends..."
Embracing love: Celebrating successes and overcoming jealousy (December 24, 2023)
Love is not beholden to the myth of scarcity, writes Chris Burton. Elizabeth and Mary teach us this.
“There are no new pains:” A feminist Advent reflection
Liz Cooledge Jenkins reflects on Elizabeth, Luke's Gospel, and Audre Lorde.
Dad, will you be in “The Nutcracker”?
In an unexpected casting of Drosselmeyer, Matt Rich finds – in life and in ministry – the role you think you are going to play might not be the role you get.
Roots, thorns and joy: Navigating complex family history during the holidays (December 17, 2023)
How do we make sense of complicated family dynamics in our lives and in our faith history? Chris Burton reflects on the women present in Jesus' genealogy.
Sing of Peace — Weekly Christian ed lesson
In this lesson, children will explore the concept of peace through the hymn “Come Now, O Prince of Peace,” a prayer-in-song form.
Peace is not confined by convention (December 10, 2023)
In this second week of Advent, communities around the world will speak of peace, but what do we really mean? How far-reaching is our understanding of peace? Chris Burton reflects.
Sing of Hope — Weekly Christian ed lesson
In this lesson for the first Sunday of Advent, children will hear and explore the hymn of hope “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”
Home and hope in Ruth (December 3, 2023)
"Ruth demonstrates tremendous hope. Hope that this tragedy will not unwrite her own story. Hope that there is more to be written, and more to be lived," writes Chris Burton.
The Present You, Lord, Might Open
Scott Barton turns Isaiah 64:1-9 into a prayer.
Podcast review: “Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols”
If you're on the search for Christmas content, we suggest giving the podcast "Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols" a try.
Advent devotional and group study recommendations
There are so many Advent resources for church leaders to wade through, so we did some of the heavy lifting. Here is Amy Pagliarella's short list for 2023 Advent materials.
Decolonizing Christmas
Kelle J. Brown shares how her church uses a gold Christ candle instead of a white one. “Our need for [traditional symbols] should never outweigh our pursuit for inclusion,” she writes.
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