peacemaking Archives

December 18, 2012

2012 Advent Devotion- Tuesday, December 18

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Monday, December 17

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Sunday, December 16

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Saturday, December 15

Posted 6:00am

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

With Thanks to God for the Life and Witness of Cindy Bolbach

Posted 12:42pm

Ruling Elder Cindy Bolbach, Moderator of the 119th General Assembly

I believe we are living through a hinge time for the PC(USA). A hinge time of hope, excitement, and anxiety, all mixed together. A hinge time when we are realizing that the denominational structure and organization that we built in the 1950s and 1960s might not be the organizational structure we need for an age that some are calling not just post-denominational but post-Christian.

As the PC(USA), we still inhabit a top-down, corporate structure that worked well 50 and 60 years ago, when we were flush with members and with resources. We are no longer flush with members or with resources. That does not mean, by the way, that I believe us to be deathly ill. I believe that health of any Christian community of faith is measured not by the number of its members, or by how deep its financial pockets are, but by whether it is proclaiming the Gospel authentically.

2012 Advent Devotion- Friday, December 14

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Thursday, December 13

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Wednesday, December 12

Posted 6:00am

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

2012 Advent Devotion- Tuesday, December 11

Posted 6:00am

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 »

December 10, 2012

2012 Advent Devotion- Monday, December 10

Posted 6:00am

by Grace Bickers, intern, Presbyterian Ministries at the United Nations and student, Columbia University (New York, New York) I Thessalonians 5:1-12 Today we celebrate Human Rights Day, an opportunity to rejoice in the entirety of God’s creation and reflect on ways we can share God’s compassion and love throughout it. In its call for respect… Read more »

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