Chances are you are looking at these words on a screen or that you looked at them on a screen prior to printing them out. According to a study released by the JAMA Pediatrics in November 2021, screen time for teenagers has increased during the pandemic from 3.8 hours per day to 7.7 hours per day. The 7.7 hours per day is for recreation (gaming and videos) and social interaction (social media and texting). That does not include online schooling, which can represent another 5-7 hours per day.
Read MoreRight off the bat we see why Hallmark has a robust industry in Christmas cards and not Advent cards. “Happy Advent, You Brood of Vipers” might not sell too well as a holiday card, but these words are certainly a wake-up call for the audience of John the Baptizer.
Read MoreThe Protestant Christian Batak Church presents "Give Thanks", featuring the Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP) Department of Diakonia, Indonesia.
Read MoreThe Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras presents "Tiempo de Esperanza" ("Time of Hope").
Read MoreThe Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church presents "Wake and look toward the new star," featuring the Biratnagar Congregation.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren presents "Boha Otce všichni chvalme" ("All praise God the Father"), featuring Ladislav Moravetz.
Read MoreThe Lutheran Church in Chile presents "Gloria a Dios" ("Glory to God"), featuring Santiago Synod Iglesia Evangélica Luterana El Redentor.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania presents "Krisztus Urunknak áldott születésén" ("On the birth of our Lord Christ") featuring the Mátka Folk Group.
Read MoreThe Protestant Church in the Netherlands presents "De nacht loopt ten einde…" ("The night comes to an end…") featuring the Lutheran Parish in Amsterdam.
Read MoreTwo years after the original projected date of completion, the Minoru Centre for Active Living in Richmond, VA is open. It’s not every day that a community gets a new center for events with indoor swimming facilities. It’s also not every day that such community centers win international prizes for their accessibility.
Read MoreAll Creation Sings, the worship and song supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, released in late November 2020.
The ELCA Worship Staff would like to know how you’ve gotten to know All Creation Sings since its release last Advent. What is a newly discovered hymn or song that has worked very well in your assembly? Have you used elements of Settings 11 or 12 over this past year?
Read MoreZechariah’s prophecy in the first chapter of Luke, our reading for this second Sunday in Advent, is sometimes overlooked in favor of the Magnificat of Mary in the same chapter. Mary’s song, which we will read later in Advent, is a theological ode to God, who “lift[s] up the lowly” (Luke 1:52).
Read MoreThe Lutheran Church in Singapore presents Come Let us Adore Him, featuring the Queenstown Lutheran Church in Singapore.
Read MoreThe Salvadoran Lutheran Church presents Tras Hermoso Lucero. Featuring the Children Choir in the Lutheran Church Pueblo de Dios, Calderitas.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada presents There is no Child by vocalists from the Eastern Synod.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi presents Alimkudza wasoni munthu (He is Coming, The Man of Sorrows) featuring the ELCM Praise and Worship Team, Lilongwe Cathedral.
Read MoreThis Advent brings several reasons for hope: children can soon receive vaccinations for COVID-19, many congregations are gathering again in person, families look forward to holiday celebrations. Yet humanity grieves losses and experiences great suffering and forms of oppression, as does the planet itself.
Two new hymns in All Creation Sings that address this, see “Can You Feel the Seasons Turning” and “Abba, Abba, Hear Us” among others in the “Lament” and “Creation” sections.
Read MoreIn his book, Silence the Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about two kinds of knots. The first knot is our notions, ideas, concepts, and knowledge. These things are not bad, but when we get stuck on them we miss out on the truth of life.
The second knot is our afflictions, fears, anger, discrimination, despair, and arrogance. Thich Nhat Hanh believes that until these knots are undone we remain bound up and not truly free.
Read MoreOn Halloween night in the UK, three children stopped to trick or treat at the house of Brenda Burdon, 86. Brenda apologized because she did not have any treats ready to give out. The youth replied, “It’s OK, because sometimes making people happy and getting a nice big smile is reward enough.”
They returned the next day with muffins and chocolates, a card which they had decorated with pumpkins and doodles. Brenda Burdon’s grandson later said, “She was just lost in happiness that total strangers could leave such a wonderful impression” and that it was the best Halloween of her life.
Read MoreSymbols of Presence: A virtual weekly program from Spirit in the Desert during the season of Advent that helps participants prepare to receive the Best. Gift. Ever. The program is FREE, register on our calendar pages.
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