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Building Advent traditions
Every Advent, mom would drag the yule log out of storage and place it on the kitchen table. She’d made the dusty birch centerpiece herself, complete with greenery and holes to anchor the Advent candles. Although I can no longer remember if we lit one or all the...
Redeeming grace
Coupons, rainchecks and rebates were my dad’s way of saving money on groceries and other household items. Because of this, even as a young child I understood what “redeeming” meant. Dad redeemed coupons a little like he played cards. He knew just what coupon to play,...
Journey with us through Advent
Read Gather's 2024 Advent devotional, "In God's Garden." View the devotional video supplement. Read “A sacred season,” an article from November/December 2024 issue of Gather that features 23 Advent disciplines. Download Advent resources from Women of the...
Nothing can separate us
Holy and abiding presence, out of the depths, I cry to you! Like so many before me, I wonder: “How long?” “Why me?” “Why them?” “Why now?” “Where are you?” and “Why have you forsaken us?” If I were to rend my garments each time these thoughts come, I would no longer...
Trenches and flowers
The power of hope in Kharkiv, Ukraine People were planting flowers next to trenches along the main road leading into Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine, when our Lutheran World Federation (LWF) delegation visited in May 2024. Checkpoints, concrete blocks and...
Getting it right (or not) with kids’ faith questions
“Will God and Jesus ever die?” “When will Jesus come back to earth?” “Why did God make flowers?” “Is everyone in heaven a grown-up?” “Why can’t people come back from heaven?” Eight years ago, I opened a Word document to record the questions my kids asked me about God...
The gift of grace
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8) This was one of the scripture readings at our wedding. This was one of the Scripture readings at our wedding. We didn’t exactly choose it. We were...
Holding to God’s promise
When my husband, Joe, and I moved into our first house In May 2014, we spied squash vines growing along a wooden fence next to our driveway. Being new homeowners—and not exactly avid gardeners—we decided to let the vines grow and see what would result. That June, to...
Grow in faith
Explore Women of the ELCA resources Women of the ELCA offers a wide range of free downloadable resources in English and Spanish to help you grow in faith, deepen your spiritual life and engage in ministry and action. For example: “Called to be political” can help you...
December 2024 “In God’s garden: What fig trees teach us about Advent” by Hannah Hawkinson
View the video supplement. This Advent, we'll learn from some surprising teachers: fig trees. Astonishingly vibrant, fig trees have a zest for life. Their roots have even been known to bust through plumbing and climb walls like ivy! Yet fig trees also have a dormant...