By Sister Cheryl Jacobs “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and […]
By Brother Matt Henson The Christmas celebration occurred a little over one month ago. The memories of families gathered, late-night services to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and the beautiful music of Christmas are still fresh in our minds. Yet, in just over two weeks, we will transition into a season of preparation called Lent, the 40-days leading […]
By Brother Brian Shimer My word for 2025 was hope, and how much I needed it. From house remodel to soul renovation, 2025 was a year of holding onto hope and seeing God move in magnificent ways. For 2026, Jesus’ visit to Nain in Luke 7:11-17 to raise the widow’s only son stands out prominently. […]
by Brother Jon Tellifero On the last weekend in April, our son Josh will be getting married! Let me brag a moment: Josh is a good man. His fiancée is a good woman. They should make a great team for the Kingdom of God, for each other, and for their world. To say […]
By Brother Matt Henson Our Christmas decorations in our home each year include a countdown to Christmas wooden block display. Each morning, my daughter gets out of bed and changes the countdown. The display sits below our television, so it is readily seen by everyone. As the countdown moves from 30-days till Christmas until Christmas […]
By Brother Stephen Rankin Christmas celebrates, of course, the birth of Christ, and we think of birth as the beginning of a person’s life. It’s why we celebrate and mark our days by birthdays, but if we think, for a moment, we recognize that birth is the culmination of a process beginning with conception. December […]
By Brother Guy Ames Our grandson, Atticus, loves to tell people that he was born in his bathroom. The night of his birth his Mommy had barely gotten into their car for the trip to the hospital when she knew they were already too late. For the next half hour on the floor of the […]
By Brother Guy Ames One of the most treasured of the Advent Gospel readings is the Magnificat, (Luke 1: 46-55) which is Latin for the first words Mary speaks upon being greeted by her cousin Elizabeth. “My soul magnifies the Lord” begins her Song of Joy upon hearing cousin Elizabeth declare, “As soon as the […]
By Brother Brian Shimer At my last congregation, the church leadership and I decided to start Advent on November 15th, like the Orthodox tradition. We wanted to slow down the season. The Orthodox add in a 40-day fast in preparation for the Feast of Christmas! Our folk didn’t exactly manage that! My mom had written […]
By Brother Tom Albin This is the first week of Advent—the season in the Chistian year that we prepare for the birth of the Christ child. It will be four more weeks before we celebrate Christmas eve and Christmas Day! How will you prepare for yourself and your family for Christmas? Here in the United […]
