During Advent we think about a wondrous mystery: that God chose to become human and lived among us. The Savior of the world was born a vulnerable child. The king who will rule all of creation was laid in a humble manger. The Wondrous Mystery invites readers to reflect on several paradoxes that make up the Advent season: light and darkness, peace and strife, solitude and community, simplicity and complexity. This daily Advent reader incorporates meditations from Weavings: A Journal of the Chri...

Usually when we think of the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, and the angel Gabriel come to mind. Okoro approaches Advent a little differently, inviting us to sit for a while with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the story of how they came to bear their only son, John. "The Advent story we so often associate with the joy of Christmas actually begins with deep sorrow and longing. But thankfully, in the kingdom of God, there is always more to the story than meets the eye," Enuma Okoro writes. Zechariah ...

Soon after the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the astonishing news that she would bear the long-awaited Messiah, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child. As Mary greeted Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth's womb (John the Baptist) leaped inside her. Elizabeth exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you among all women. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Mary responded by singing a song of praise to God, commonly known as the Ma...

Behold is an old-fashioned word we rarely hear these days. It's not in most modern translations of the Bible. Yet Pamela Hawkins says this word softens the edges of her heart. "I cannot say this word without moving, without extending and lifting a hand, palm open, toward the object of my attention," she remarks. Enter Advent this year with an attitude of curious expectancy and trustful anticipation. Linger for a while and pay close attention to the meaning of the season as you focus on a si...

Journey through this Advent season with a purposeful focus on the Christ child. Meeting the Messiah encourages you to slow down and pay attention to the real meaning of Christmas. Six weeks of short readings and guided reflection will enrich your celebration of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. You will be filled with joy and thanksgiving as you think about scripture passages from the perspectives of the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, Mary, the shepherds, the magi, and Jesus himself. This year...