An acquaintance said to me, “Another year is almost over. Christmas will soon be here. I can’t get into the spirit with all the divisiveness around me. When will it stop?” She was expressing what many...
[read more]The second commandment God etched in stone warned the Israelites not to imagine what God looked like. There must be no “graven image” of Yahweh. Israel’s invisible God would permit no idols. The rule...
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What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping, whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping? — Hymnal: A Worship Book, No. 215; text by William C. Dix,...
[read more]In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through...
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I don’t know if I have ever been able to convincingly say that I love God. So, I don’t really say it very much. I don’t not love him, but to claim that I love him has always felt like a stretch to me....
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Aimee Smucker noticed the little dog as she left a Sarasota, Fla., drugstore. The animal lover couldn’t just walk by, so she reached down to pet the Yorkie attached to a leash held by an older man. She...
[read more]While the star of every Christmas pageant is the Christ child, the Best Supporting Actress nod goes to Mary. The baby, whether a doll or an unpredictable infant, is just so hard to see from way in back. But...
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Advent is for waiting. As we tell the story of redemption through the church calendar we begin our telling of the sacred story, not with doing, not with celebrating, but with waiting — waiting for God to...
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I’ve discovered there are two kinds of people in the world, and it’s one of the deep social divides polarizing the world. On the one hand are the people who put up Christmas trees and decorations on Nov....
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MANHEIM, Pa. — From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, about 525 people from 49 nations celebrated Christmas and cross-cultural friendship Dec. 3 at Mount Joy Mennonite Church’s third annual international Christmas...
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Today I am blessed to celebrate birthday No. 69. Family will surround me; we will eat seafood and carrot cake. It will be a special day. Then comes Christmas. I anticipate celebrating that day, too. And I’m...
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“I think that the Christian doctrine of redemption — this idea that we need to be ‘redeemed’ from something — is just wrong. And it’s done all kinds of harm.” The comment came in the...
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As tensions between nations rise and world leaders threaten war, peacemakers all over the world work to make peace on Earth a reality. Jae Young Lee and Karen Spicher, Mennonite Mission Network mission...
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The committee deliberated whether the donated yard sign would be posted. There was disagreement. In the end, it was decided that the sign sounded too political.“No matter where you are from, we are glad you...
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Can we really celebrate the birth of Christ? We are worn down by the horrors that have held us captive. Mass executions by gun violence, rampant discrimination and potential nuclear war have put us on edge....
[read more]The screams were interrupted by yet another festive tinkle of shattering glass. Another ornament hit the hardwood floor, sending shards of Christmas cheer in every direction. The kids were helping decorate....
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A few years ago some Canadian Mennonites came up with the idea of “Buy Nothing Christmas.” Check out their website at buynothingchristmas.org. With humor they direct you to a “Buy Nothing Catalogue”...
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Acts 14 showcases the people’s impulse to make gods of human leaders. Listening to Paul and Barnabas speak, seeing them manifest God’s power, the people mistake these men for something they’re not,...
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Matthew reports that wise men from the East, presumably Gentiles, came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have come to pay him homage.” When Herod heard...
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As I enter this Christmas season, I am reminded again and again of the ways in which we have co-opted the story of the birth of Jesus as another ploy to get people saved (lead people to jesus, get people to...
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The Eternal God planted a garden in the east in Eden—a place of utter delight—and placed the man whom He had sculpted there. In this garden, He made the ground pregnant with life—bursting forth with...
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I’m sitting in Starbucks shivering over a latte while I get a new set of tires put on my car. Here in southern Alberta, we have been treated to a blast of winter worthy of mid-January. The scene is a pretty...
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While some lament that Christmas has become increasingly secularized and materialistic, others have posted blogs and Facebook statuses reminding us of the real meaning of Christmas. Recently, Benjamin L....
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First there was Jehovah — the creator and grand designer of the universe as we know it. Emanating from God was Judaism, the systems of traditions God wanted his people to embrace. Finally, Jesus came as the...
[read more]Hens lose their egg-laying gusto as the days get shorter. Rather than offer a winter respite to her flock, my wife chose brainwashing over relief. Already in October she festooned the chicken run with...
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