Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”.  In the Christian season of Advent we prepare for the “advent” of Christ at Christmas.  Our preparation includes many things: • We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore them. • We remember our hope for the second coming of Jesus. • We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins. • We prepare to welcome Christ at... Read more

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy... Read more

Looking forward to posting our Jesus Creed Book of the Year in the next ten days. 4 years in a row: PHOENIX – A text message sent to the wrong number brought an Arizona grandmother and a 17-year-old high school senior together on Thanksgiving in 2016 – now, they are getting ready to celebrate again, for the fourth year in a row. Wanda Dench thought she had messaged her grandson to tell him what time the Turkey Day festivities would... Read more

Kris and I say to one and all, Happy Thanksgiving! Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at... Read more

The Enneagram is big. Is it Christian? Is it not Christian? Is it neutral?  What would the apostle Paul think? (Got any texts?) What would Augustine think (asking for a friend)? C’mon theologians, think for us. Though derived from an ancient wisdom tradition, and not explicitly Christian, the Enneagram has recently found a passionate following in the Evangelical world, drawing young believers culturally steeped as much in the self-centric spiritual practices of the secular world — astrology, self-care, the wellness... Read more

By Rhesa Higgins, who is a friend of Kelly Edmiston, is a spiritual director and experienced retreat leader. She serves as the founding Director for eleven:28 ministries (www.eleven28ministries.org) in Dallas, Texas, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the spiritual vitality of ministers. She is married to Chad and together they are raising their three kids. Rhesa loves good coffee, dark chocolate, baseball, theatre, and most any good book. I am a fourth-generation Texan and a fourth-generation member of the churches of Christ.... Read more

How can a loving God create humans in his image only to consign millions make that billions of them to hell? The current population of earth is around 7.7 billion. It is estimated that something around 108 billion humans have ever been born (live births only). The exact number isn’t really important. Only a fraction, even of those alive today, have ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. A smaller fraction of those alive in 1700 AD had an opportunity... Read more

Everyone preaching the lectionary needs the wonderful series of books called Connections. Big news: two volume at once. Here is a series of commentaries and reflections from Advent through Pentecost. Now a suggestion: some of you preachers/pastors could give lectionary preaching a try, and there’s no better source than Connections for such a beginning. The lectionary has four texts for each week: Old Testament lesson, Psalm, a New Testament (often epistle), and the Gospel reading. This series has a commentary... Read more

By Ruth Tucker Years ago when I was a member of Fifth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, our minister on several occasions read from a volume of John Wesley’s 8-volume set of journals—always having found a good sermon illustration. He had inherited the set from his father, also a Reformed minister, the pages having become worn with his father’s re-reading and hand-written markings. You certainly don’t have to be a Methodist to recognize Wesley as a fascinating individual who devoted... Read more

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more