The Baby Dinosaur at the Manger, Or: The Incarnation is for Everybody
A plastic green dinosaur in a manger scene is weird, but the uncontainable creator of the universe, held by his human mother, is really as weird as it gets.
Advent
Kishōtenketsu and Advent
Ocean Vuong’s method of storytelling offers a different path to approach Advent rooted in a classic form of Asian narrative known as kishōtenketsu.
Solstice
"In the bleak midwinter / something shifts..."
What May We Hope For?
As the 13th century Dominican monk Meister Eckhart provocatively asked: “What good is it for me that Christ was born a thousand years ago in Bethlehem?”
Full of Grace
"But who’s so certain as to speak of God? / Who among us has held Great Mystery?"
The Midwest Winter as Spiritual Desert
In the midst of the hardest months of winter, ones marked with grief and emptiness, how can we trust that God is with us?
Naomi’s Bitterness, Ruth’s Light
Read why Lauren K. Carlson finds comfort in the biblical story of Naomi's bitterness during this Advent season, which can be a time of suffering for many.
Finding God in the Dark
In this excerpt from her forthcoming book, Pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler writes: "Job taught me to love the dark."
Putting Lent Back into Christmas
Here’s a modest proposal to rescue the Christmas season from sentimentality on commercially peddled steroids: Let’s put the “Lent” back into Christmas.
Isaiah’s Wail: What Crying Babies Teach us About Advent
Isaiah, our Advent prophet, is fed up and freaked out. His diatribes are like the cries of a small child. Why start the season with a wail?
