That kind of peace is what descended on my heart and mind in the wake of my father’s death. I didn’t do anything to get it to arrive. I didn’t pray the right prayer or read the right thing. It just … arrived. ...

This Christmas I hope those “three ships” will sail toward the light of my Advent candles. And that I’m ready to receive the treasures they bear. One carol I’ve been humming this ...

Certain Christians seem compelled to speak for God in disorienting moments like these, and the results are frequently terrible. The rest of the church has a responsibility to get angry and repudiate the statem ...

Advent allows us to realign our expectations to His plan. Social justice will not happen in the way that we devise. If God came as this baby Jesus, how will God right all things wrong? ...

Sojo is ready to celebrate this season of Advent, our Savior’s birth, and all of the family time and Christmas cookies that come with it. So here it is: The Top 5 Ways to Get Into the Christmas Spirit. ...

What would it look like for me to let myself be filled with the joy that comes from anticipating God's promises? "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord h ...

While the Season of Advent is viewed in various ways, one method is to perceive it in anticipation of reconciliation, for such personal and public reconciliation is dearly needed in our present day and age. ...

This Advent, as we wait for the true light who is coming into the world (John 1:9) we pause and reflect on our Christmas hope. As a friend said last night, we do not linger forever in uncertainty but as an exp ...

Many Christians may be surprised to hear a sermon during Advent that focuses on challenging our cultural assumptions about the meaning of Christmas, but doing so may be the most faithful witness a pastor can o ...

Advent, a season during which Christians honor and attempt to approximate the longing for a Messiah more than 2,000 years ago, is often described as a chance to exercise our patience muscles. ...

The beautiful anonymity and soft innocence of a young girl in Nazareth would be stripped by an angelic visitation. Who could ever envision the global veneration soon to commence? ...

Lisa Sharon Harper May God cause us to cry out to those mountains of injustice, "Oh freedom!" In th ...

We disregard the good news at our doorstep, the opportunity to live with Jesus among us, and keep on building walls at our threshold. Perhaps that's why the angels of the Bible repeat this admonishment -- ...

During the upcoming season of Advent we ask God to provide us with a full portion of urgent patience. On the morning of Nov. 7, just hours after polling places closed and as vote ...

Julie Polter Elaina Ramsey Center yourself during this busy holiday season with our to ...

Martin L. Smith Reflections on the Common Lectionary, Cycle C “TAKE OFF THE garment of your sorrow and afflic ...

Rose Marie Berger With a warm hen under my arm, I remembered Jesus' plea over another empire-ridden city. ...

Donna Schaper Advent marinates us as we prepare to taste Christ's arrival. THE TASTE OF the election sti ...

Mary Lou Kownacki The Art of Waiting IN THE PAST two years, I’ve done two smart things: I went fishing last s ...

Each day leading until Christmas we will post a different video rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" for your holiday enjoyment and edification. Today: The Cathedral Choir of New Jersey. ...

Each day leading until Christmas we will post a different video rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" for your holiday enjoyment and edification. Today Handel's "Hallelujah" is brought to you by the junior high students from O ...

No matter how much we give to those around us, it can never match the Light of the World entering into the darkness to be with us. Emmanuel, God with us, is the gift that can’t be out given. ...

Each day leading until Christmas we will post a different video rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" for your holiday enjoyment and edification. Today's installment comes from the POTS Chorus o ...

Forget about that creche on the town green or the menorah outside the public library that the nice folks from Lubavitch Chabad will light for the first time tonight. Now the Special Ops Humbug Unit of the War ...

The Innocence Mission's rendition of "Away in a Manger" is a prime example of what Karen Peris' voice can do. It's in high rotation in my Christmas 2011 mix on iTunes and rarely fails ...

See, God is at work in you in much the same way God was at work in Mary. (Not necessarily in that the Holy Spirit’s going to knock you up.) But I do think that you carry in your body the blessing of God and ha ...

Shoppers at Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Central Market got a festive surprise Saturday when a flash mob of more than 125 people broke into the "Hallelujah Chorus" by the bread aisle. ...

"My favorite Christmas Hymn (technically an advent hymn) is 'O come, O come, Emmanuel.' I like it because it expresses the longing for Jesus to be 'with us,' and also that tension I b ...

We’re a house of hospitality when we learn to wait, when we learn to open ourselves to grace, when we let love transform us, one relationship at a time. Before Leah and I moved to ...

There is, once again, a threat of a government shutdown. Congress, once again, can’t get along. Even the most basic decision making has stalled as each party postures for their base. But, it’s almost Christma ...

The real Christmas announces the birth of Jesus to a world of poverty, pain, and sin, and offers the hope of salvation and justice. The Fox News Christmas heralds the steady promotion of consumerism, the defe ...

The Morning News: Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Census Shows 1 In 2 People Are Poor Or Low-Income Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of America ...

The Afternoon News: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 THE HUFFINGTON POST: Occupy Movement : Winning? As the police have been dismantling some Occupy encampments around the country and ...

In her inimitably lovely way, Carrie Newcomer , the Quaker singer-songwriter tells the story of June and Cal and their children gathered at their Christmas table to sing carols and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in her should-be classic, "L ...

While the spirit of rampant capitalistic greed is certainly appalling, and people are justifiably angry about the economic abuses of Wall Street, still some have criticized Occupy Xmas for it's aggressive ...

We've asked some of the artists who've performed our favorite Christmas songs to tell us what their favorite songs of the season are. Today, we begin with that virtuoso Canadian troubadour, Bruce Coc ...

President Obama spent Sunday reflecting on and celebrating the holy Incarnation — at church, at a children's hospital and at a concert with teen superstar Justin Bieber. The Baby Jesus has had stranger be ...

Today's installment comes from a fellow who goes by the handle (pardon the pun) "Banjo Ben Yahu" and, in addition to having an epic beard (someone call the casting director for "Whisker War ...

Empty stomachs moan. The .000258 percent hedge their bets against the common good. Living Sacrifices By Lisa Sharon Harper   The 99 percent offers work and wealth ...

Each day leading until Christmas we will post a different video rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" for your holiday enjoyment and edification. Day 3's installment comes from an unlikely gaggl ...

Each day leading until Christmas we will post a different video rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" for your holiday enjoyment and edification. Day 3's installment comes from the Just in Time Vocal Jazz "JOURNEYS" Concert, D ...

We expected what we get every year: a broad message about generosity and the season of giving. But what we got was so much more. Last night we watched the First Family light the N ...

Looking at all the progress we have made, especially in the last 10 years, it is a moment for us to not only celebrate, but in the words of President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, “recommit ourselves,” to end th ...

Julie Polter Advent loops past the second coming to the first -- and to us, stuck waiting in the mud of existence. ...

Enuma Okoro Reflections on the Common Lectionary. The Word of God is steadfast and faithful. This is the prom ...

So, in the spirit of anticipating its arrival, here are nine tips to help you make it through this Advent season. Advent—the four weeks leading up to Christmas—is an important tim ...

HUZZAH! IT'S BANNED BOOK WEEK! HUZZAH! IT'S BANNED BOOK WEEK! If you're anything like us, you've probably been too busy to read much of anyth ...

<p><a href="/sites/default/files/images/soj11031.jpg"></a>Dear Mr. President,</p> Dear Mr. President, As your target date to begin U.S. ...

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Martin Luther King Jr. Although I never met him, I value his life and teachings more and more each year.</p> Today is the 4 ...

My family, while I was growing up, was not much for spring breaks. As other families we know flitted about preparing for palm trees and sand, my sister and I would pout and lament to my mother that we had the ...