Seasons

Feed your spirit with these stories and articles that explore the milestones of our church year.

Reading with children at Advent

Reading with children at Advent

by Elizabeth Hunter Picture books offer a way for adults near and far to share a faithful story or conversation with a child, especially this year when distance or the COVID-19 pandemic may prevent us from being together. Grandparents, godparents, Sunday school...

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Advent is a threshold.

Advent is a threshold.

by Elizabeth Hunter— A few months ago, my dad’s friend, who is a carpenter, removed a drafty old exterior door from our 75-year-old house. Although I missed the solid, sturdy feel of our old door, its lock would sometimes stick, and I’d secretly feared a burglar would...

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Keeping the feast at the farmer’s market

Keeping the feast at the farmer’s market

by Cara Strickland— When Gather's editors reach out to ask me to write a new, semiregular column on faith, food, and cooking, I couldn’t help but think back to my first encounters with the farmers market. For a long time, I found farmer’s markets intimidating. Even...

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What did the risen Christ look like?

What did the risen Christ look like?

Several years ago, a friend and I attended a midday matinee. I can’t remember much about the movie, except that it was a delicious pleasure. I remember moving from the inky blackness of the theater, out the front door and into the dazzling light of a late...

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Winter boundaries, winter wonder

Winter boundaries, winter wonder

by Venice R. Williams—"That's why gardening season is over!”These are the words my teenage children, Josiah and Sojourner, used to toss my way whenever I would get on their nerves during the cold winter months. In playful- yet-truth-filled moments of...

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One will be left: There is space for grief at Christmas

One will be left: There is space for grief at Christmas

by Kristen Glass Perez— I love Christmas. My husband, Javier, didn’t. Or perhaps more accurately, he didn’t love decorating for Christmas. In the six years that we were married before his sudden and unexpected death, we negotiated Christmas very carefully....

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There are gifts in the waiting and not knowing

There are gifts in the waiting and not knowing

by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick— In Dr. Suess' Oh, The Places You’ll Go! an explorer journeys through the twists and turns of life. This little book is an engaging read, often given as a graduation gift. It’s known for its inspirational message—until the page where...

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Waiting in joyful hope

Waiting in joyful hope

by Audrey Novak Riley— There's an ancient lilttle prayer that some Christians insert into the Lord’s Prayer right before the doxology (which explains that awkward pause whenever an ecumenical group recites the Lord’s Prayer together). There are many variations and...

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The holy month of June

The holy month of June

by Kristin Berkey-Abbott— For many congregations, summer is a time of reduced activity. Perhaps we move to offering one worship service on Sundays. Many congregations with midweek spiritual development opportunities suspend them for the summer. Some congregation...

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Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is still here with us

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...

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Celebrating bold women

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...

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