By: Sandy Safford This article from the archives originally ran in 2016. Looking for some new ideas for the coming church season? This post is intended to give you some resources to consider for the months ahead. Maybe it will just remind you of something you haven’t...
By: Pressley Cox Did you know that according to a Southern Living article, Christmas in July started in 1933 at Keystone girls’ camp in Brevard, North Carolina. It began as a theme for a summer camp celebration, not in a church or by a marketing company. This first...
By: Joyce Vance Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas: We blow out the candle of fear and light the candle of love. Lectionary texts: Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20 A child has been born! During the time of preparation, expectant parents have both joy and fear; hope and...
By: Tammy Wiens Third Sunday of Advent: We blow out the candle of bitterness and light the candle of joy. Lectionary texts: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s song in Luke 1 is known as The Magnificat. This title grows out of a Latin tradition where titles...
By: Jill Ver Steeg We blow out the candle of confrontation and light the candle of peace. Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is Mark’s way of saying “Genesis.” This is the genesis of all...
By: Jen deCombe First Sunday of Advent: We blow out the candle of despair and in its place we light the candle of hope. Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37 This year’s first Gospel reading of the Advent season comes as a shock to many of us. Unlike...
By: Pressley Cox Growing up, I had never heard of a “Hanging of the Greens” service. Preparing the sanctuary for Christmas was done by a group of women one Saturday morning. The bulletin announcement the next day would be a thank you to those who “decorated” the...
By: Kaylee Osteen “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew 1:1 (NRSV) Over the past few years, the summer Montreat Youth Conferences have inspired me in a multitude of ways. Escaping to the mountains of North...
By: David Gambrell The Christian year is an ancient pattern of seasons and festivals by which congregations and individuals immerse themselves in the story of God’s saving love through Jesus Christ. This way of keeping time is sometimes called the liturgical year or...
