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Posts Categorized: Peace & Global Witness Offering
December 20, 2012
by Noha Khoury (Whitehall, Pennsylvania) Psalm 126 Have you ever noticed how catchy vacation Bible school songs are? You can be going about your day until suddenly a trigger gets you singing (and performing the choreographed movements)! Psalm 126 triggered for me a song entitled “Great Things.” As music leader for the week, that song… Read more »
December 19, 2012
by John Russell Stanger, organizer of mission and advocacy, Presbyterian Welcome (New York, New York) Isaiah 11:10-16 As we anticipate the coming of Christ, this passage reminds us of God’s promise to renew all things. Yet, the brokenness of the world cuts so deep that we are often overwhelmed. We see it on global, national,… Read more »
December 18, 2012
by Sara Dorrien, First Presbyterian Church (Lake City, Michigan) John 3:16-21 If a single verse can be said to define Christianity for millions, John 3:16 is the one. It is memorized by confirmands, painted across the cheeks of NFL players, printed on bumper stickers, and recognized by believers and nonbelievers alike. It is imbedded in… Read more »
December 17, 2012
by Ester Sihite, Student Affairs Educator (Seattle, Washington) Psalm 40 I believe that God works in mysterious ways, that God gives us lessons and talks to us through events, people, nature, the Holy Spirit, and the still, small voice inside us. It’s difficult in our worry-filled, iPhone-filled, Facebook-filled, Tweeter-filled lives to allow ourselves the space… Read more »
December 16, 2012
by Linda Pak, Intern Architech (Seattle, Washington) Hebrews 12:18-20 In this passage from Hebrews, there is a certain amount of unpredictability around what will remain after the big shake-up. Portrayed is an image of an arrival point toward promise, covenant, and the ”heavenly Jerusalem.” We are challenged in opening ourselves to God’s voice, which calls… Read more »
December 15, 2012
by Luba Kravchenko, director of Liturgical Music, Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church (San Francisco, California) Luke 22:31-38 The disciples said: “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied: “It is enough!”Faced with the imminent fulfillment of ancient prophecy, Jesus tries to impart to his companions the full weight of the crisis they are about to face…. Read more »
December 14, 2012
by Angelica Bevelle, student, University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) Luke 22:24-27 As the Christmas holiday nears, one word that comes to my mind is: competition. People spend countless minutes and dollars striving to give the best gifts, donate the most money, and help the most people. We forget the real reason we celebrate this holiday…. Read more »
December 13, 2012
by Catherine Gillette, student, College of Wooster (Wooster, Ohio) Psalm 147:12-20 Sometimes a “mountaintop experience” is necessary to remind us of the splendor we live within and to help us recognize God’s incredible, loving power. This past summer, I worked at Ghost Ranch—a Presbyterian Conference Center in New Mexico. Originally from the East Coast, I… Read more »
December 12, 2012
by Sophie Beal, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, Summer Intern (2012) and student, Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, Massachusetts) Isaiah 6:1-13 In my first college class my favorite professor told me that the fundamental question about religion is, “How do we live?” We ask ourselves this question every day as we struggle to navigate… Read more »
December 11, 2012
by Laura Stricklen, Presbyterian Hunger Program, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer (Louisville, Kentucky) Psalm 146 A few years ago, for the first time in my fairly privileged life, I found myself in a foreign country with the wrong visa. During my first month abroad I visited the immigration office several times, waited in long lines, met with… Read more »
