A Holy, Silent Night

One of the activities I love this time of year is the chance to worship midweek, in the evening on Wednesdays. I greatly enjoy Advent worship whatever form it may take, but I do love Holden Evening Prayer often done in numerous Lutheran churches across the country. This is a service I had never participated in until my late twenties, but one I find deep connection in and this year my thirteen-year-old and I are finding deeper connection with. I find it a…

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Swedish candletree -Augustana Lutheran Church

What Does Heaven Smell Like?

A few weeks ago, as I was washing my hands, a random thought entered my brain: “What does heaven smell like?” I stopped what I was doing and tried to figure out what could have triggered that thought – and then I realized it was the aroma of the hand soap I was using. It is a scent I find very pleasing and is called “Rain Water”. Clean, light, fresh, cool. My sense of smell triggered a thought of what it may be…

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Praise With Creation

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice,‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughteredto receive power and wealth and wisdom and mightand honour and glory and blessing!’ 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,‘To the one seated on…

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Read more about the article Jesus Meets His Mother
Worshipers of Legio Maria in Nairobi attend a prayer session

Jesus Meets His Mother

Station Four - Worshipers of Legio Maria in Nairobi without the words Emily Dickinson Steadfast God,You draw us together to glorify yourhealing name, whether we’re separatedby physical distance or digital divide.May we boldly proclaim your love in allplaces and circumstances. Remind usthat we are bound to one another inChrist’s love regardless of how wegather. Amen.What are the most memorable worship experiencesyou’ve had in this time of virtual and limitedin-person worship?What are the things you want tokeep from this time?What are the things that havefrustrated…

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Sunday and…

Growing up, I learned to play the drumset in order to fill a musical need at my church. It was a lot of fun for me, and I like to think I grew into it well as a self-taught musician. I remember approaching every week as if we were practicing for the next week’s show/event/concert. The thrust of my energy as a worship drummer was always “what’s happening next Sunday?”When it comes to making a worship happen, there could be a lot of…

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The Gift of New Life: Worship

"In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:39-42). What is it about a baby? When my first niece was born, I was astonished.…

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I Doubt It

Every single Easter story in the Bible has fear and confusion and doubt. It seems as if it is impossible to have faith in the resurrected Jesus without also having doubts— and that … that’s okay. (see video)

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Jerusalem - Mahane Yehuda

Sabbath

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in…

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Emmanuel is Here!

In so many ways we who are a people of faith have been experiencing this Holy Week and Easter with a sense of dread. There is a feeling that there has never been an Easter like this. This Holy Week through Zoom meetings with friends and colleagues I could see the stress and deep sadness on their brows that they were going through since none of us would be together. Gone are the flowers, the lilies are not there, the tulips and other…

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