Join us as we celebrate the Advent season with a Christmas Concert from our choir!
"Blue Christmas" services, which take place to support people struggling emotionally during the holiday season, are becoming more common. This song was written for such services. Ken Janzen sings and plays the instruments.
4 Advent Video Hymns written for the Worship Design Studio, which created its own separate videos. Recordings and videos by Ken Janzen
Blessed Christmas-tide even in a particularly bleak mid-winter. One carol includes a metaphorical rose blooming in darkest winter.
'Seeds of Peace' is set to the carol-tune O little town of Bethlehem. It's sung by a Children's choir in London.
Christmas with Amy McKenzie, soprano and Alice Wildermuth O'Sullivan on piano.
This recording features Alice Wildermuth O'Sullivan playing her own arrangements of Christmas Carols on piano, augmented by bell instruments. As an organist and church musician in Lutheran churches for years, Alice developed these arrangements, some dating back to her first Christmas as a church organist when she was five.
FaithandReason® is bringing you a 4-part “Advent Podcast Series” with special guest John Dominic Crossan! Once a week for the next four weeks, we will interview Dr. Crossan about “The First Christmas,” the book by Crossan and the late Marcus Borg.
A sermon preached on the Second Sunday after Christmas – the readings for this sermon include: John 1:1-9, The Gospel of Thomas 70; Matthew 2:1-12.
If we pay attention, the Christmas story is a mirror held up for us to see that we live in a country where the government locks thousands of migrant children into dog cages, sexually abusing some, torturing others, and allowing many to die while the church is largely compliant and silent. And we seriously wonder if this government might actually win election approval from poor church goers in a few months. Merry Christmas?
“Jesus heals not only us as individuals but a savior has been born, one who will heal the world from all its ills.”
Rev. Lines names the immaculate conception as "bad theology" and discusses the power of choosing to love.
Elfbert, Santa's Reluctant Helper is a charming illustrated story told in rhyme about a devoted little elf who persuades Santa Claus to give children "qualities" for Christmas instead of toys with surprising and delightful results. The illustrations are rendered in an antique wood block style.
By Renegade Cut
Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas is the story of Kirk – playing a version of himself – and his brother-in-law, Christian White. Christian is not in the Christmas spirit this year and has concerns about the rampant consumerism and hoarding of wealth that he believes is antithetical to the season and to Christian teachings in general.
Christmas is quiet and intimate and I get to sing the carols I love with my beautiful bowls. The other night James and I decided to make a little video of one of my favorites -- an old carol from Ireland -- The Wexford Carol. Here it is, just for you. I have loved this song for years, from the moment I first heard its arching melody. I hope these sounds fill your heart with peace and pray you continue to shine your Light all through this magical season and in the year to come. Enjoy! And if you love the video, post a comment and share with family and friends to pass along the light. I read every single one and I so much appreciate hearing from you.
I invite you into the way I celebrate Christmas. It may be different to the way you celebrate and think about Christmas, but I ask you to join me as I bring you into what I think can be a joyful way of celebration in the 21st Century. One of the biblical scholars has helped me crystallise what I find difficult about the traditional presentations of Christmas. Greg Jenks, in his book ‘Jesus then and Jesus now’ has asked the question, “Has the Jesus tradition become a giant fairy-tale for children, and little more than an annual exercise of ‘let’s pretend’ for grown-ups?” (Page 123) That is the question which plagues me every Christmas.
Silent night, holy night is a perennial favourite! T’is the season for nostalgia. But what if we are serious about providing more than nostalgia in our worship? Can we, or do we even dare to offer worshippers new images that endeavour to engage our reality? Can we touch the spiritual but not religious crowds that wander into our sanctuaries seeking an encounter with the Mystery we call God, with a hint of our unknowing. Or are we content to address only the nostalgia seekers with safe images designed only to warm and not excite the imagination? Dare we beckon the nostalgia seekers beyond their memories toward the future? I wonder? Maybe we can summon up the courage to compromise by simply adding a few new verses? The challenge belongs to all of us to write new words to enable us to sing our praise with integrity.
This past year, at my congregation on Cape Cod, we began to celebrate the seasons of the year as part of our affirmation
When Christmas comes it brings great joy; This story of a baby boy; The birth of life - divine event That tells us all of God’s intent To be at one with human life, In all its beauty, all its strife.
THIS VIDEO BELONGS TO MAX LUCADO, RANDY FRANZEE, AND FRANCESCA BATTISTELLI To purchase or download this video: http://www.olivebranchcreative.com/the-story-downloads Lyrics: Everything inside me cries
1. Our world cries out to be reborn: a world of pain, all tossed and torn. Babies born to mothers scarce old enough to yet conceive, like Jesus born to Mary, so young, so fearful, so naive;