SBC president J. D. Greear appears to both support the statement by the seminary presidents’ and say the kerfuffle is used as a distraction from truly addressing racism.
Two Episcopal churches in Philadelphia are participating in a “singing Advent calendar” on YouTube which emphasizes the work of women composers. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
In theory, when everything changes that should be a good time to reflect on what our real and deepest values are, and whether our lives are really directed towards them. In practice, it’s a time when it feels all the more needful to cling on to what’s nearest at hand and provides obvious security, whether financial or psychological. If, when and whenever the stress begins to abate, that may be the right time to think again about whether our practice is really reflecting our ideals in the things we value. Are we spending our time and energy digging for something which in the end we don’t really need or want?
“Yesterday, the Anne Frank Human Rights memorial in Boise was defaced by swastikas and threatening signs. Our Jewish sisters and brothers are understandably afraid, angry, and exhausted.”
But this year we need to think about what is truly the most important thing, is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are. You don’t have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam
“If we let go of the chill that invades our hearts as we feel so lost and alone in the darkness, we know that He is coming indeed just when we need him the most.”
2020 brings us drive-thru nativities and Zoom pageants
I am on an Advent retreat, restless and exhausted, looking for room at last at the inn of mercy. Perhaps that is only as it should be, as we sidle slowly toward Bethlehem.
These steps demonstrate our love for others and provide us a measure of protection. Wearing a face covering is a sign of Christlike love for our brothers and sisters.
“Rediscovering listening can happen through many routes. It can be mediated by time in an external environment in which we can slow down, or through deep conversation with a friend, or by being still within ourselves in meditation or prayer. The important thing is to find ways of recovering or holding on to that capacity to listen. Only as those who have some idea of what is going on within ourselves, between ourselves and others, and in our external world, can we begin to help each other live well. Only as those who can listen are we given words to speak.”