David Emmanuel Goatley, Clifford L. Penner Presidential Chair, reads the Christmas narrative from the Gospel of Luke.
Vince Bantu, assistant professor of church history and Black church studies, reflects on how Christmas—a story of disruption—challenges us to stand with the marginalized and the oppressed.
“Fear and Glory” evokes the vulnerable hope of Christmastide and the virgin birth in the midst of a harsh but beautiful rainstorm, with scriptures drawn from Luke 2. The meditation was filmed by FULLER studio in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
I am not sure what holy extravagance is at Christmas in America, but the biblical scenes of Jesus’ birth and the life of the monks of Tibhirine tell us that hope lies not in easy aloofness but abiding, if disconcerting, solidarity. We certainly cannot pretend not to be part of the problem crystallized in the American Christmas.
This was the company’s first big production since Henson’s death. They created a wonderful Muppet-world equivalent of Victorian England, the cobblestones, the windows, and the rooftops all busy with activity. Nevertheless, fans could feel that something was missing…
This was the company’s first big production since Henson’s death. They created a wonderful Muppet-world equivalent of Victorian England, the cobblestones, the windows, and the rooftops all busy with activity. Nevertheless, fans could feel that something was missing…
The Holdovers is a wonderful Christmas film. I predict it will become a regular holiday guest for many.
Advent “Yearning and Promise” explores Advent and the expectant longing for the birth of Christ through cityscapes, wilderness, and water, with scriptures drawn from Isaiah 40 and Matthew 1. + Watch Christmastide “Fear and Glory” evokes the vulnerable hope of Christmastide and the virgin birth in the midst of a… Read more »
+ The liturgical calendar spans the life of Christ in a single year—from anticipation (Advent), to hope (Christmas), to transcendence (Epiphany), to lament (Lent), to redemption (Easter), to the birth of the church (Pentecost), and through long, numbered days (Ordinary Time) back to Advent. These video meditations rely on nature… Read more »
This week contains Christmas, a holiday that has become as much about obtaining things as anything else. Perhaps Decalogue X will serve as a good reminded to value our relationships with our friends and family over the stuff they give us.
No matter where the tree comes from, what you hang on its branches, or whether you have to water it or reassemble it, putting up a Christmas tree is a ritual thousands of people perform every day this time of year. Lars von Trier’s new film, Melancholia, asks whether that ritual, or any of the countless other rituals we participate in, has any content—or if it is just an empty pattern of life.
