Women’s Christmas To most, today is the celebration of Epiphany: remembering the arrival of the Magi and the presentation of the Christ to the Gentiles. But in some circles, today is also known as “Women’s Christmas.” In particular, the Irish/Celtic tradition...
In the weeks before Christmas – as the days get shorter and the nights get longer – there is chill to the air that makes it difficult to remember the feeling of the light. In northern regions, it’s dark when you go to work and dark when you go home. The smallest light...
Darkness can seep into our lives in many ways, regardless of the season or the time of year. And despite the festivity that is inherently part of preparing for Christmas, darkness – as a metaphor and as a lack of light – for many, pervades. Some congregations now...
This week’s music calls our attention to Mary, theotokos, the mother of God. But, it has been a challenging search … where is Mary in our Advent and Christmas music? Surprisingly, she’s mostly absent. Michael Linton did the research and found that in reviewing...
Advent 1 – Let the Waiting Begin Are you willing to wait? Are we willing to call our congregations to waiting? Waiting is not unengaged, or disinterested; it is a seldom-practiced kind of engagement. One that is patient and persistent. Advent waiting is expectant...
This week I discovered a new artist: Eva Cassidy. She’s not a youngster, or a newcomer to the creative scene. She can’t be pigeon-holed or limited by genre tags. And you won’t be able to see her in concert. But, thankfully, you can listen to her limited discography...
