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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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Photo courtesy of Donielle Cyprian
Nathan Kirkpatrick: Our rituals will change this year
A holy season marked by pandemic can still bear witness to hope, peace and faith.
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Paul A. Baxley: Easter is not canceled if we do not gather
Because Christ is alive and has gone ahead of us, the ministry of the church can be carried out in homes and through relationships, in the smallest of settings. That is how it was in the beginning -- and how it needs to be in this moment, writes the executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
"The Resurrection," an illumination of John 20 by Donald Jackson from The Saint John’s Bible. All images courtesy of Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. Copyright 2002. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: Mary Magdalene's perspective: Reflecting resurrection
The spiritual practice of “divine seeing” invites us to look deeply and to question. How might you view the world differently from a place of greater focus and openness to new perspectives?
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Diana Hall: A call for Lenten action on climate change
Organizations all over the world encourage religious leaders and their communities to explore how the church can work to care for creation.
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.
Milwaukee County Secure Detention Facility. Wikipedia Commons
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.