Detail from a mosaic of the Three Magi in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy. Creative Commons / Wikipedia
Even in a fearful, divided and dark world, the Magi gracefully and joyfully sought the Christ child by seeing hope in a tiny point of light, writes a managing director at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
This Chrismons ornament is called "Pelican in Her Piety." It's part of a series representing the seasons of Christmas and Lent called the "Christian Year Series," designed by Frances Spencer, who created the first Chrismon tree in 1957. Photos by Jessamyn Rubio
Chrismons -- white and gold ornaments representing the story of Christ -- are part of the identity of the Lutheran congregation in Virginia where they originated six decades ago.
After worship services in the Bethany memory care unit, retired United Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder goes around the room, greeting each resident by name. Carder is serving as interim chaplain at Bethany. Photo by Matt Brodie.
Serving as chaplain at a memory care facility, a retired UMC bishop learns that the longing for home is an innate hunger, buried deeper than our memories or imaginings. And it lies at the heart of Advent.
Credit: Angola Prison
An Episcopal priest finds in the obit pages of The Angolite -- Louisiana State Penitentiary’s award-winning magazine -- reminders that we are all members of the communion of saints.
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The image of God at Pentecost is multilingual, multicultural and multiethnic, not for a politically correct agenda, but because the gospel demands it. The gospel is polyphonic, the dean of Duke Chapel says in this Pentecost sermon.
"Jesus Washes an Apostle's Feet" by Laurie Olson Lisonbee, 2006. Used with permission.
Jesus’ intimate moment with his disciples calls us to leadership that manifests and concretizes love, writes the director of Duke Youth Academy.
PInky the cat and the author's mother, Carolyn, comfort a fretful baby. Photograph courtesy of Jane Webb Childress
The passings four years apart of Pinky the cat and a much-loved mother has the author thinking about death and the meaning of a life.
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In Holy Week, a favorite gospel song reminds the author that God loves even those who cannot cry out in praise, those whom depression has left as silent as stones.
Image courtesy of the La Vista Church of Christ
Some stories need to be told again and again. So it is with the story of Easter, a story that reminds us that we belong to God and that Jesus is out ahead of us, calling us to God’s future, writes a managing director at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
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‘Blessed’ has become part of a slick and pervasive trend of forced, optimistic gratitude, says a young Christian writer. The season of Lent helps us return the word to its most authentic expression and meaning.