In the month ahead we will celebrate Advent and Christmas. As we chant “O Come, O Come Emanuel,” Advent days will teach us prayer and patience as we long for the coming of our Savior. When we finally sing out “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” Christmas days will call us …

For Christians in areas of conflict Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.

Advent is a season of hope. It is the beginning of the liturgical year, and a time for us to reflect on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the long centuries of yearning by the Israelite people for the Messiah promised by God. During the …