Today we relight the first three candles of the Advent Wreath — the candles of HOPE, PEACE and JOY. Now we light the fourth candle of Advent. This is the candle of LOVE. Jesus demonstrated self-giving love in his ministry as the Good Shepherd. Advent is a time for kindness, thinking of others, and sharing with others. It is a time to love as God loved us by giving us his most precious gift. As God is love, let us… Read more

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. BCP Read more

Advent week 4 How long should the sermon be? It depends. NEW YORK (AP) — How long should a sermon be? The major branches of Christianity in the U.S. have sharply different traditions, with sermons at historically black Protestant churches lasting — on average – nearly four times as long as Roman Catholic sermons. Related Content: Christianity That’s among the findings of an analysis by the Pew Research Center — billed as the first of its kind — of 49,719 sermons delivered in… Read more

By Mike Glenn I have a friend who drives a tour bus for several big-name rock groups. He’s gone for weeks at a time, driving the band from gig to gig. Every night, it’s the same thing. Loading out about midnight. On the road anywhere from 1am to 2am, and then, driving all night to the next venue. Needless to say, he has a lot of time to think. He’ll call me from time to time and talk about what… Read more

Culture of Generosity (Pastor Paul Series) – KR 144 What a community does with its financial resources reveals what they value. Scot unpacks the Apostle Paul’s vision for generosity and caring for the poor. Generosity was a staple in the early church and is still essential for God’s Kingdom to continue to take root today. There is no telling the impact the church can make on the world if it nurtures a culture of generosity. Suggested Resources: Pastor Paul by… Read more

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 Taken up again in the Gospel of Matthew All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (1:22-23) Most Christians have a deep appreciation for the scriptures, both… Read more

By Becky Castle Miller A friend who was working on Christmas shopping asked me for gift basket recommendations for a woman called to theology and pastoring. I had fun putting together a list for him. If you are a woman in ministry, what would you like to find in your gift basket? Earplugs to block out people saying just “1 Timothy 2:12” over and over A dress with POCKETS to hold a lapel mic for preaching Sturdy boots for stomping… Read more

By Kelly Edmiston My middle son turns 5-years old this week. For his birthday he got a new scooter and on the first day he got it, we loaded up a back pack, put the baby in the stroller and we took the new scooter to the park. While he was riding it there his older brother asked if he could ride the new scooter home after we finished playing at the park. I said yes and explained to my… Read more

There is a deep and abiding drive to reduce justification to a legal, forensic act by God for the grace-receiving human. Thus, it becomes double imputation: Christ’s righteousness imputed to us and our sinfulness to Christ. That’s it. No minimization here of the importance of God doing for us what we can’t do and God’s grace giving us the bounties of redemption. But is this what justification is? We can ask, Is this all justification is? The answer for Michael… Read more