Have you ever been in an earthquake? Earthquakes shake our most basic assumptions: that the ground will remain steady beneath our feet, that the world's current existence is the way it will always be. But when tectonic plates shift under the earth's surface and the ground shakes beneath our feet, it rattles the bedrock assumptions on which we build our lives. The Gospel of Matthew reports that on the first Easter morning, an earthquake rocked the earth, ripped open the tomb, and scared the Ro...

Many people end their celebration of Christmas on December 25, but George Donigian reminds us that the celebration is only beginning. Donigian offers meditations that begin with Advent and continue through Epiphany (January 6), also known as the 12th night of Christmas. Like the surprises of an Advent calendar, the meditations touch on many subjects. Some topics include "An Editor," "A Counting Song," "Prudence," and "Chrismons." Instead of putting away your nativity scenes and other Christma...

How can the cross shed light on what we do in worship and why—not just in the Lenten season but in every season? John Indermark urges us to focus on the cross, its imprint on how we worship as a community, and how it transforms our discipleship. This 6-week study inspires us to connect corporate worship with our daily lives. He organizes the daily readings according to the components of corporate worship: gathering, invocation, confession, proclamation, creed, response, and sacrament. Leade...