Religion

Disturbing things have come to light in 2022. Of course, in polarized America, how you think about things like media bias, gender, Twitter censorship, political corruption, January 6, cryptocurrency, financial scandal, and a host of other things often depends on your affiliations, right? We can hardly agree on anything anymore. Well, I’ve thought of something we can agree on that would make our community better in 2023: let’s resolve to minimize the role of divisive people in our lives.

In the Advent season, Christians anticipate celebrating an event that unfolded thousands of years ago in the seemingly inconsequential remote Palestinian town of Bethlehem. Today, the local economy rests on pilgrims and tourists, especially during the Advent season. So you can imagine the effects of the COVID shut down. After two years of travel restrictions and an unusually empty Manger Square during the last two Christmas seasons, there is optimism that business is bouncing back in Bethlehem. The pandemic hit hard, its economy that had been sustained by Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the globe, decimated. For two difficult years residents could barely provide for their families. Restaurants were empty, shops were struggling, and the cobblestone streets were silent except last year even without the income from tourists, the locals decided that although no outsiders could come and it was costly, they would celebrate with lights and pageants and the traditional fireworks. After all, they believed that Advent and the nativity was worth celebrating even if it was only celebrated with family.

The giving of gifts at Christmas is rooted in the Magi (wise men from the East) bringing treasure chests to Jesus after his birth....

Faith is very important to our everyday life. Let’s just take a step back and look at faith from a hindsight perspective. In general,...

A story that’s often told in churches on the Sunday after Easter is the story of “Doubting Thomas” from John 20:24-29. This poor guy...

According to Google, a paradox is defined as “a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to...

My elementary school used to have an assembly at the end of each school year when high school students would come and lead us...

Last fall my family moved into a new house, our first in Delaware. Since we moved in November and the growing season was well...

The cover of Time magazine this week proclaims 2020 as “The Worst Year Ever.” Superlatives are often subjective, and, no doubt, some hyperbole was...

Do we know who won the presidential election yet? This column is due on Wednesday, and the votes are still being counted. By the...