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Christmas 2011 |
 Greetings
to all of you at this time of Christ's birth --
[12-23-11]
as we
remember and celebration the human manifestation of God's love among
us, may we remember that it was (and is) an event for all
people.
And
so may it transform our lives and our world, bringing peace and
justice to reality for the millions who lives are now shadowed by
conflict and poverty and powerlessness.
from Doug King, for Presbyterian Voices for Justice |
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS
[12-23-11]
We wish for you and the whole world experiences of
Advent and Christmas that inspire the gifts of hope, joy and peace.
As you explore the mystery of Advent and the wonder of Christmas:
Take a quiet moment during this busy season...
Light a candle,
say a prayer,
see beauty.
We are on
a spiritual journey.
Remember the sacred
underlying the mundane
in this season of lights.
Something Holy
is about to be born
in us.
In the dark lay possibilities:
the seed in the ground,
the seed in the womb,
the seed in our souls.
The deepest desires
of our heart and soul
lead us toward God,
toward ourselves,
toward the world...
A way is being prepared
in the wilderness of our lives.
Vision.
Strength.
Encouragement.
Hope starts small
and overtakes us,
stretching the borders
of what we have known.
Merry Christmas from More Light Presbyterians
Note: Special thanks to Rev. Jan L.
Richardson, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent
and Christmas and Rev. Nanette Sawyer and Wicker Park Grace,
Chicago for the inspiration and source of the poetry for this
Advent and Christmas prayer.
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The Israel
Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Greetings in the name of the Child of Bethlehem!
[12-23-11]
After 44 years of military occupation, destruction of
land and livelihood, the confiscation of all but 13 % of the
Bethlehem district, and imprisonment within a massive concrete wall,
what Christmas message would you expect today from Bethlehem? Would
it be a modern echo of the birth story?
"A cry
heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children..."
No. None of this! The picture above shows the
Separation Wall itself transformed into a Christmas card,
proclaiming the firm faith, the steadfast hope, and the resilient
love of Palestinians who know that...
...The light still shines in the darkness,
and the darkness shall not overcome it.
The Israel Palestine Mission Network
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
wishes you a Joyous Christmas
and the Peace of Christ! |
Christmas is Subversive
[12-23-11]
The Rev. Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of
Eco-Justice Ministries, first posted a provocative theological
reflection on Christmas in December, 2001, and has re-posted it
recently.
He begins:
Christmas is a
profoundly subversive holiday.
Millions of families
gathering to open mountains of gifts are not subversive, of course.
But the central theological point of this Christian holy-day is a
direct challenge to the core assumptions and values of our modern
world.
Recognizing and
believing the message at the heart of Christmas could actually lead
us to change our lives. We could find ourselves called to confront
the most powerful ideologies and institutions of our day.
What is Christmas? It
is the celebration of God breaking into human history with a saving
act of love in and through the person of Jesus. At Easter, we can
get tied up in questions of how that saving love works. At
Christmas, we simply rejoice in the wonderful fact of Emmanuel, of
God-with-us.
The remarkable
proclamation of this celebration is that God's saving love is poured
out:
not only for the rich and powerful
not only for the righteous (it is Santa who divides the kids into
naughty and nice)
not only for the folk of a particular nation, geographic area,
philosophical persuasion, or any other faction
not only for humans ("God so loved the cosmos" is the language of
John 3:16)
Christmas reminds us
that God comes among us to bring Good News to all people, indeed, to
all of creation.
What is so subversive
about that?
Christmas tells us
that (in the eyes and heart of God) all people, all creatures, all
parts of creation, have intrinsic worth. We are all worth loving and
saving, just because we exist.
The rest of his
thoughts >> |
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If you like what
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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