For You I Wait: Lament in Advent
by David Gambrell The voice of lament resounds throughout the witness of Scripture. The five books of Moses, or Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy), center on the cry of God’s people for deliverance from captivity: “The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out....
An Advocate Anthology: 2022 Annual Event
Are you getting excited? In less than three short months our APCE Annual Event will take place in Chicago. And it won't be just any annual event, it will be a spectacular anniversary celebration as we come together for APCE's 50th - plus one. So, mark the dates on...
Clouds of Witnesses Blown by the Spirit
by Joyce MacKichan Walker, Princeton NJ Almost a year ago, in an Advocate article titled, “The Role of Advocacy for Educators in the PC(USA),” I wrote: Advocacy is something you do until what matters – what is flawed or broken or unjust or simply “not right” – is...
God Loves Circles
Rodger Nishioka, plenary speaker and preacher God loves circles. Look around. Start with the sun and the moon. Envision the planets moving in their orbits. From the grand and expansive universe, focus on the minute spherical nucleus of the atom. God loves circles....
What Will the Soundtrack Be For the Church in This Generation
Lift Every Voice and Sing! En la lucha hay vida! No matter what people say, you are a child of God! On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, that “our destiny [that of Black Americans] is tied to America’s destiny.” ...
Circle of Faith: 50 years + one and beyond
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" Hebrews 12:1. From an early age, we understand what a circle...
An Advocate Anthology: Advent
Advent is coming! Let's get ready! These four wonder-filled articles featured in the Advocate over the past few weeks are designed to help you prepare for the season of Advent. If you missed out on reading them before now, we invite you to grab a tea or coffee and...
Lifting Up and Celebrating God’s Promises
By Rev. Cathy Hoop “My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise.” (Psalm 130b, CEB) As we turn to Advent’s hope, the promise of God’s gift of incarnation, the words of the prophets harmonize with the psalmist’s cry. God has promised to “execute justice and...
Advent Practices During Covid-Times
Doodle Harris Zephaniah 3:17-18 assures us that even though we are feeling exiled and broken, God is rejoicing over us, renewing us, and restoring us with “loud singing.” I love this idea of God singing loudly with us as I think about Advent. My favorite songs, both...
Advent: What Are We Waiting For?
Kathy L. Dawson Advent is coming. No, really, Advent means “the coming” from its Latin roots. This begs the question of who is coming. Of course, we are likely to answer, “Jesus,” but here is where it gets complicated. Is this the first coming of baby Jesus, with...
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