Meet Jimmy Stewart
American actor, military aviator, and Pennsylvania native James Stewart was a born-and-raised Presbyterian.
Born out of national division, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ is a balm for Christmas
A century and a half after Phillips Brooks wrote this haunting carol, there is much once again to lament, fear and grieve, writes Karen Swallow Prior.
The long way to Bethlehem
Palestinian Christians have developed one of the most important liberation theologies of our time — and most American churches have never encountered it, writes Christopher Tweel.
Why church choirs matter more than we realize
Hunter Steinitz remembers the day her church's choir sang carols with a beloved member on hospice — and how music became family, worship and farewell all at once. Music binds the church together, she writes.
Where is Jesus?
Asking "Where is Jesus?" can help us find love and light in unexpected places and people, writes Bobby Hulme-Lippert.
No Christmas in Bethlehem: A litany
"How can we celebrate Christmas when there is no Christmas in Bethlehem?" writes Bruce Reyes-Chow.
Incarnation
A tritina form poem by Nadine Ellsworth-Moran on Madeleine L'Engle's Christmas quote: "Love still takes the risk of birth."
Drawn Again — A poem-prayer for Christmas Eve
Come, Lord Jesus — in the retelling of the familiar story, in the souls that gather to listen, writes Andrew Taylor-Troutman.
Come alive, O Christ: A Christmas Eve prayer
Come alive, O Christ in every broken place so that love fills every gap, writes Jeremy Wilhelmi.
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..."
Free hymn in support of asylum seekers
Permission is given for free use of this hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, including in online worship services.
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.
At-home Christmas liturgy
Here is a tool to invite the holy into the day.
Order of worship — December 25, 2022
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Playing with the Christmas story — Weekly Christian ed lesson
Here are a few fun, engaging activities that families can do at home or churches can implement on Christmas morning.
Christmas Day — December 25, 2022
Teri McDowell Ott pushes against the narrative of scarcity that is conveyed by the grumpy innkeeper in the Western church’s telling of the nativity.
’Twas the day of Christmas
’Twas the day of Christmas, and all across the land, church members were trying their best to understand. Oh, some things were..
Emmanuel, be with us: A Christmas Day prayer
A prayer that seeks God-with-us.
Christmas Eve prayer
A Christmas Eve prayer based on Luke 2:1-14 and John 1:1-14 by Roger Gench.
Battery-operated Christmas
Our congregation returned to limited in-person worship in October. One service takes place in the sanctuary and is broadcasted over Zoom,..
We need a little Christmas, right this COVID-19 minute
In September I had an awful thought: Even if we are back in the church on Christmas Eve, we won’t be able..
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..
Christmas Day prayer: May we be alert
"Wherever we find ourselves this day, we plead for the wisdom to be alert, aware, awake to your inbreaking and the transformation it brings in us and in all creation," writes Jill Duffield.
Christmas Eve prayer: Tonight we abide, we rest
A Christmas Eve prayer by Jill Duffield.
Christmas prayer: “God of fresh starts…”
"No longer do we stumble through the dark valley of death. No longer do we fear evil. No longer do we languish in despair," writes Jill Duffield.
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