The wait changes us
Guest commentary by Lee Ann M. Pomrenke Waiting is not wasting time. Or at least it does not need to be. When..
Expecting during the unexpected: A name next to ours
I’ve gotten into the strange habit of reading the first few pages of books at the bookstore downtown. I don’t read the..
Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now
Scott Erickson Zondervan, 224 pages | October 20, 2020 After 20 years of ministry and 20 years of worship committee meetings trying..
Unto Us a Child Is Born: Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors
Tyler D. Mayfield Eerdmans, 200 pages | June 09, 2020 Given the pressure of preaching the familiar lectionary passages prescribed for Advent..
Advent: Waiting in the pandemic
I have always loved the season of Advent. From a young age, I remember the anticipatory waiting. The rhythm and flow..
Expecting during the unexpected: Becoming a father with Joseph
My wife and I are due during Holy Week of 2021. We’re both full-time co-pastors, which means our kid isn’t just a..
Spend the holidays with your household: Population one
You’ve seen the pleas from the CDC: “Spend Thanksgiving with just your immediate household this year.” My sister called me this week and..
Advent and Christmas in a pandemic year: Ideas from Presbyterians
Pastors all over the country are sharing ideas – and a certain amount of anxiety – about how to celebrate Advent and..
Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas: 100 Ways to Make the Season Sacred
Traci Smith Chalice Press, 128 pages | August 18, 2020 This book is God’s gift to parents, pastors and Christian education directors..
The world is about to turn
I had the happy privilege of serving on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry in North Carolina. We coached, encouraged and challenged..
Late Tidings
After more than eighty of such purple seasons, you might think there would be nothing left to look toward, get ready for...
The God of life and new life
Guest commentary by Aaron Neff I sat at the bedside of a longtime member of my congregation, who was not very responsive,..
Waiting for Jesus
I am supposed to be waiting for Jesus. That’s what I tell people for four weeks every November and December. “Stand guard...
Dirty Nativity
Guest commentary by Joshua Musser Gritter Silent night, holy night Mary screams, Joseph paces back and forth. “Will the baby survive?” All..
Stewardship invitations for Advent
“Advent is not the season for fundraising. You should not have made that kind of announcement this morning!” This was the message..
Lighting the Advent candles
Advent is a time of preparation. In the secular world, that preparation involves writing the obligatory Christmas card letter, dragging out the baking pans and hunting through the closets for a Christmas-themed sweater to wear to the party.
Advent, pregnancy and the spirituality of bodily functions
Guest commentary by Abbi Heimach-Snipes I am experiencing an Advent like no other. Pregnant with my first child, I’m past my due..
Time for Advent
With respect to Advent Scripture referencing the Second Coming of Christ, William Barclay says Advent is a space to never become so..
Waiting to join in the song
During this season of Advent, we are waiting. I am personally waiting for calm, for a sense of peace in our world..
Surrendering to the wait
This Advent, I’m centering myself in Isaiah 30:15: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall..
Waiting in Advent: A prayer
God, it is not easy for us to wait, but that is what this season is about. Waiting is what Advent calls..
A witness: Reading Revelation in Advent
During this Advent, I am reading through the Book of Revelation every week. Sure, it’s a helter-skelter time for a pastor, but..
Advent: Waiting on peace
Each Advent we light candles of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. We wait, and we pray until the day we celebrate the..
Leaning into possibility
In her inaugural novel, “Wise Blood,” Flannery O’Connor pictures her protagonist restlessly sitting on a train. “Hazel Motes sat at a forward..
A way forward for Advent carolers?
Guest commentary by Will Berger I've spent the better part of my 25 years in Nashville being a preacher/musician and a musician/preacher...
Page 4 of 7
