Christmas

Emily Davis: The Soul Felt Its Worth

Emily Davis: The Soul Felt Its Worth

“One of the biggest things that really reinforces the Incarnation to me is holding a newborn. My husband and I have seven children, including newborn twins. And every time we have a baby in the house around Christmas time, it just reminds me so much of the value and preciousness of life to God…”

"Those Days"

"Those Days"

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree …” So begins the oft-quoted account of Jesus’ birth, as recorded in Luke 2. The setting of that first Christmas so long ago is as relevant today as ever. Not unlike our own times, the season of Jesus’ birth was a time of widespread upheaval and distress…

Praying Through Luke Chapter 1

Praying Through Luke Chapter 1

Stella Butala led those who attended the Women’s Advent Fellowship on December 6 in a closing prayer. “When we wait for God, we wait; let’s not rush Him to work right in this moment,” she encouraged, based on Ecclesiastes 3:11: “The Lord makes everything beautiful in its time.”

In Search of Peace

In Search of Peace

When asked what surprised him most after moving from Azerbaijan to the United States, one of our English learners' eyes lit up as he described the unexpected calm he felt when he heard birds singing.

You Don’t Need to Play God

You Don’t Need to Play God

Do you ever feel like you know the Christmas story backwards and forwards, and while it’s wonderful, it’s so incredibly familiar?  Want a fresh perspective? If you’re one who enjoys being in control (let me just raise my hand here), this one’s for you.

Moving Into the Neighborhood

Moving Into the Neighborhood

Abri Nelson tells about seeing the Advent of Christ through the narratives of the Old Testament. She reminds us that when Christ comes, when God’s actions are seen in the circumstances of our lives, we catch a glimpse of the way the world is supposed to be, the way it will be .

Where to Find Peace

Where to Find Peace

Christmas can be a trial for many. Here is a list of encouraging verses – verses like, “ When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (Psalm 94:19). We hope they’ll help all of us along the journey.

The Soul Felt Its Worth

The Soul Felt Its Worth

At our recent Women’s Advent & Dessert night, Erin Clifford reminded us to place ourselves in the same spiritual space as many who have come before us. Waiting is not easy but, from beginning to end of Scripture, we see stories of people who are compelled to wait.

Is He - Quite Safe?

Is He - Quite Safe?

The genius of C.S. Lewis’ often-quoted conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Lucy and Susan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is that it so cleverly captures the unguessable, out-of-the-box, awful goodness of God. Likewise, the manger scene could also lead us to this same question.

Hope for Sojourners

Hope for Sojourners

After meeting four days a week since September in Learning Center classrooms organized by For the Nations, a nonprofit ministry to refugees, asylees, and immigrants, the students’ reading comprehension is growing, as is their familiarity with conversations about God.

To You, Who Is He?

To You, Who Is He?

To his mother Mary, a Son and Savior (Luke 1:47;2:16). For the wise men, the king that has come (Matthew 2:11). Salvation seen for Simeon (Luke 2:30). The redemption of Jerusalem for Anna (Luke 2:36).

The Anticipation of Advent

The Anticipation of Advent

Many of us may not have grown up in a Church tradition that really celebrated the season of Advent, but it is one of the gifts that the Church has passed down to us from centuries past. Advent is about two different anticipations.

A Space for Worship

A Space for Worship

Here is a glimpse into a unique, behind-the-scenes ministry at The Falls Church Anglican – a guild of artists who quietly bless our congregation during the Christmas season (and throughout the year) with an eye for beauty and a desire to create a sacred space.

Questions Jesus Asked

Questions Jesus Asked

Enjoy this series of sermons from 2014 that talk on the questions that Jesus asks in the Gospels. It’s a great refresher as we go into the Advent season.

A Christmas Challenge

A Christmas Challenge

The Christmas season poses a heightened challenge to us: can we look beyond ourselves and into the divinity that has come down from heaven in the person of Jesus? Not that alone, but can we embrace the uncertainty that comes from total surrender?