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Check out the latest from Gather magazine.
Shalom proclaimer: My father’s wisdom follows me still
by Anna Madsen--Shalom is a word that is broad in the extreme. It has to do with wholeness, with fulfillment. Shalom paints a vision of the way things will one day be with all hands helping. Shalom knows of a lion lying down with a lamb, of the thirsty...
Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is still here with us
by Ralen Robinson--“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:4). The day of Pentecost has always been one of my favorite Sundays. When I was very young, on the seventh...
Making room for each other and God’s spirit
by Elizabeth Hunter--Sometimes I wish I could spend every day at the beach, with its bright sunshine, seagull cries and undulating waves. Especially when I don’t feel the sense of community I crave. Especially when God feels hidden or I’m tempted to just...
A time to remember, a time to let go
by Venice R. Williams--Four years later, what I remember is that it was a beautiful, quiet November morning. The children had left for school, and I had just finished the breakfast dishes. I was packing my garden bags with Elephant Garlic, Chesnok Red...
A place for us all in God’s limitless story
by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick--The kitchen counter is covered with a fine layer of flour. My hands rock back and forth over my grandmother’s rolling pin, smoothing cookie dough into a flat oval. My 3-year-old son’s eyes sparkle with delight as he selects...
Take aim: Developing the muscle memory of faith
by Julia Seymour--It has been said that one needs 10,000 hours of practice to truly develop a skill and be considered an expert in one’s field. Let’s say that we don’t need to be faith experts, but we want to be proficient at demonstrating our faith...
Most of the time I keep my cool. This time was different.
by Erin Strybis–
Balancing a pile of dirty plates in one hand and a stack of cups in the other, I’m striding toward the kitchen when my toddler’s siren call stops me in my tracks. “Mommy!” he yells. “Miiine!”
Intergenerational community isn’t just nice. It’s necessary.
by Sarah Carson–Several years ago, I accepted an invitation to carpool to a Saturday morning diakonia class with a classmate I didn’t know very well. It took no more than half an hour in the car to notice how different we were.
Why is it so hard to ask for, to receive help?
by Joy McDonald Coltvet–The day of her funeral was hot, so hot, and I must have looked overly warm because the funeral assistant did a double-take. “Are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?”
Goodness is stronger than evil. The tomb is empty. Love and life win.
By Susie Gamelin— This week's mass shooting..." began the report on National Public Radio. I struggled to listen to yet another story of a mass shooting and scores of innocent people who, when they woke up that morning, had not suspected that their lives...
Symbols of the resurrection: The true story of the Easter egg
by Heidi Haverkamp— An egg doesn't seem like much. Small enough to sit snugly in your palm in a plain white or brown shell, available to buy in any grocery store, convenience store and even some gas stations, an egg is one of the most unassuming, common foods we know....
I keep finding myself with the women–and in them I find myself
by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller— It started with a small amount of flour. Gathered in a circle, women passed the bowl from one hand to the next.
The ministry of Jesus invites us to “Taste and see”
by Elizabeth Hunter— Do you associate sounds, sights or scents with feelings or memories? I know I do. Just a hint of ginger stirs up thoughts of Christmas and my mom’s peppernut cookies. Walking by lilies of the valley awakens memories of Easter and being held in the...
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples…”
by Angela T. Khabeb—
John’s Gospel is probably my favorite of all the Gospels. Several narratives that are unique to John’s Gospel have deeply impacted my faith journey.
Soup’s on: This Lent be stretched, be filled and be warmed
I first learned about soup suppers a few congregations ago. It was early in my journey to more liturgical worship. During that particular Lenten season, the congregation was engaged in a video series to explore our faith more deeply—but first, the soup. At first, I...
Celebrate women’s strength
by Linda Post Bushkofsky— It's a little thing, really. Every time I change a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer, I think of my mother. This thought connection goes back 40 years or so. I must have been a college freshman, home with a trimester of learning...
Jesus in three dimensions
by Sarah Carson— Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my brain, I have several snapshots of a cartoon my mother used to play for my sister and me. I don’t have a complete memory—just a few random snippets stuck in the gray matter of my amygdala. I can’t tell you...
Celebrating bold women
by Linda Post Bushkofsky— Have you ever thought about Mary as a bold woman? Our Advent memories of Mary’s song of justice have not waned so much that we can’t appreciate her boldness. During Epiphany Mary persists, caring for the infant Jesus as visitors follow the...