Advent

I’m being tutored in exposure.

Lament and longing can be companions.

In chaotic times, focus on routine, ritual, and simplicity.

We don’t pine for a second coming that will bring the world to an end. We pray for the indwelling of Christ that will enable the world to continue.

This time of year, our inner landscapes can seem as bleak as the outer ones.

A seasonal practice: cultivate the patient gaze to describe life as we find it.

These six new Advent devotionals may help.

Four of the best new resources for individuals, congregations, and families

Each December we pray for the key of David to come. What does it lock and unlock?

That anger might make people feel uncomfortable, but listen to it. Use your emotions as fuel to work as hard as you can. That emotional energy indicates love for your church and your calling. It will sustain you.

When I read the annunciation story, I picture Mary as Clara.

A new family skipped a lot of our holiday activities—and got me thinking.

If we are to understand the delivering power of Jesus’ coming and presence on the earth, we must un-domesticate the Jesus story.

We need the prophets to unmask power’s seductions.

As I lifted the chalice, the baby began to play soccer under my ribs.

It's Advent. What are we waiting for?

This year, as I meditated on my longing, my pregnant hope, I located it on that table, somewhere between the salad and the ravioli, when our imperfect lives came together.

Christmas is a great time to resist the lure of the western Christian tradition that domesticates the story of Jesus so much so that it is no longer an unsettling force and reality in our society.

My words feel small. Like I’m trying to beat back the ocean with a stick. I could command the waves to stop, but the sea will keep pounding the sand. Recent world events have generated a lot of fodder for preachers and writers, and yet I have nothing to say. 

It is extraordinary to hear a song reverberating off stonewalls and then dissipate into thin air. The soaring beauty of ephemeral art! Sometimes I find myself holding my breath as the soloist hits a high note or that incredibly awkward person tells his testimony. Do we appreciate that moment? Because many of us are conductors of that symphony, curators of beauty and we don’t realize the importance of our position.