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“Rejoice always.” The third Sunday in Advent has traditionally been known as Gaudete Sunday, taken from the opening of the Psalm appointed for the day so long ago. That Psalm began with the Latin command (...)

Matthew 2:1-12, the visit of the magi, is the gospel reading for Epiphany. Some congregations choose to use the Epiphany readings on the second Sunday after Christmas. In the Western Church, the visit of the (...)

Many religious and ethnic communities have intricate celebrations for the declaration of a new family member’s name.1 Even for those who do not have such rituals, deciding upon and revealing the name of one’s child (...)

The portion of Proverbs before us constitutes the sixth of twelve readings for the Vigil of Easter where, in some liturgies, it is accompanied with the descriptor, “The wisdom of God.” The response is Psalm (...)

The fact of human difference may no longer surprise us. What may surprise us in this passage is that the author stops to thank God for the foresight and grace to plan this messy human (...)

When it comes to modern preachers, “boldness” may not inherently be a virtue. While no one wants a milktoast speaker, many of us associate “boldness” with religious voices too arrogant and unsophisticated for our liking. (...)

Many believers think of Jesus’ ascension like an excuse for Jesus’ absence: because he ascended, Jesus is gone. Many believers think of Jesus’ ascension like an excuse for Jesus’ absence: because he ascended, Jesus is (...)

The reason that this passage appears in the lectionary at this point is obvious. It is an epistolary text that speaks of the activities of the Holy Spirit. There are of course other passages that (...)

At first blush, it appears that the assigned text is a bold declaration of faith and hope in the midst of an unrelenting lamentation over the horrific events surrounding the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. (...)

What is the true spiritual power? What constitutes true spiritual authority? How do we distinguish true from false teachers and prophets? Who should we allow to influence us, and whose authority can we trust? And (...)