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Living in sacred time, in our ordinary days
In this secular world, what are the ways in which our Christian institutions can continue to help root us in our faith?
Liturgical Seasons
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The congregation, started by Zimbabwean immigrants, has begun attracting neighbors to its community. The church provides office space for area nonprofits, built a playground for local children and hosts after-school programs. Photo by Lissa Gotwals
A church reborn
Six years after being given a dying church's building, Shepherd's House UMC, an African immigrant congregation in Durham, NC, is a beacon of renewal.
Craig T. Kocher: What does it mean to be a minister without a congregation at Advent and Christmas?
Clergy who work in settings other than the local church experience a sense of dislocation during this season. But, as a university chaplain has found, that discomfort can lead to new insights.
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In December 2018, Prakash Keeley was enthroned as a "bishop" at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Photos courtesy of Steve Rice
The tradition of child bishops teaches the meaning of the Magnificat
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a church enthrones a young chorister as “bishop” every December in a medieval practice that illustrates the upside-down spirit of Advent.
José Chicas, the founding pastor of Iglesia Evangelica Jesus el Pan de Vida in Raleigh, North Carolina, talks about his time living in sanctuary. Photo by Pilar Timpane
A pastor’s message for Advent in sanctuary
As Christmas approaches, a pastor in long-term sanctuary reflects on waiting, faith and family.
The author in Abuja, Nigeria. Photo by Kingi Kingibe
Enuma Okoro: The wait might be the thing we're waiting for
This Advent, the practice of waiting can feel like a burden, but it can be exactly the gift God wants to give us, says the author and speaker.
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Patricia La Cross: Finding improbable joy in a difficult world
After attending a New Year’s Eve protest at a medium security prison, a writer reflects on shouting out love and finding hope -- with joy -- in a new year.
Photo by Jessamyn Rubio
Melissa Musick Nussbaum: Make room for the real work of nativity and resurrection
Getting ready to host an immigrant family, a writer and speaker reflects on the book of Acts and the post-holiday question of “now what?”
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Jean Neely: Confusion and doubt are part of the spiritual journey
Our faith is sometimes better represented by the despair of Holy Saturday than the confidence of Easter Sunday, says a writer and Christ seeker.
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Nathan Kirkpatrick: Jesus will meet us anywhere
From the very beginning, Easter has been a story of the risen Jesus made known in the midst of uncertainties, anxieties and fears.
Steve Bell's story serves as an invitation this season of repentance to reflect on how we turn toward God and our fellow creatures. Photo courtesy of Steve Bell
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: This Lent, turning again and again to God and one another
When a church turned away from musician Steve Bell and his family, inmates at the federal prison where his father was a chaplain turned toward them, welcoming their brokenness and helping Bell discover a gift from God and a vision for what church can be.
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Luke A. Powery: Spirituals teach us about suffering before God
African-American spirituals have given voice to people for whom “Lent was life,” says the dean of Duke Chapel, who has written a new book called “Were You There? Lenten Reflections on the Spirituals.”
Excerpt: 'Were You There? Lenten Reflections on the Spirituals'
In this excerpt from his new book, the Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, the dean of Duke University Chapel, offers two Lenten meditations. Each of the book’s daily entries features the lyrics of an African-American spiritual and a brief reflection, along with Scripture readings and a short prayer.