(AP) The question was about climate change. The answer soon turned to the Bible. And Pete Buttigieg knew the verses.

"CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS"

The Rev. Mark Andrew Jones, BSG

Rector, St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, Pompano Beach 

In Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ coming as Emmanuel (God-With-Us). The Prince of Peace, “is the image of the invisible God”; “in him all the fullness of God … dwell[s], and through him God … reconcile[s] to himself all things” (Colossians 1:15-20) – out of love, for love, and in love. This is Good News and Tidings of Great Joy! No matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or whom you love, God accepts you. By daily accepting into our hearts the coming of Jesus – the Light of Life that dispels all darkness – the miracle of Christmas can change the world.

The Rev. Dr. Deborah Geweke

Christ Lutheran Church, Oakland Park

What is the meaning of Christmas? It is an expectant time of the year.  After weeks of waiting we gather to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. He comes to us as the Christ Child. And He is the one who continues to live among us and in each one of us.  He is the Lord of our lives guiding us to reach out to one another in love and faith.  We look forward to carrying true meaning of Christmas into and through the new year, and in all aspects of our life."  Christmas Blessings from Christ Lutheran Church.

Father Joe, OSF

Parish of Sts Francis and Clare, Wilton Manors

The Word became flesh and dwells among us" - the promise made long ago, that in the fullness of time, God would keep the promise to send one like us as Emmanuel - God with us.

We, as Franciscan friars, in word and action, make this promise known. As a parish community, our sisters and brothers are also ambassadors of the Word made flesh. We are an

open and affirming parish where we appreciate and welcome diversity. 

The Reverend Robert G. Trache

Rector and Head of School

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School

While I was watching a Christmas tree twinkle, it occurred to me how each Christmas is something like a renaissance painting touched up and redone ever year, bringing with it memories both new and old. Isn’t it remarkable that for almost 2000 years Christians have been returning to Bethlehem in their hearts and minds to remember and recreate the hope of Christmas?

Christmas is the beginning of the Christian story of how God became intimately involved in our lives. Because God loved us so dearly, God drew us closer in the Christ child, so that we can see God in every child, and God can know the child within us.

CHRIST-MAS

by Rev. Patrick Rogers, MDiv.

United Church of Christ Ft. Lauderdale 

The season of Christmas is a time to remind us to be more Christ like. May we choose to allow the light within each one of us to shine. We live in a torn and hurting world and the invitation of this holiday is for us to choose "love" as our lifestyle all year long.

Last year, Rabbi Marc Labowitz and the congregation from his Temple brought the food to our church so we could feed those who were hungry and in need together.  Before the meal we shared a joint worship service where we praised, sang, and prayed together and shared our love and passion for God. I have no doubt that the unity of our community pleases Jesus. We don’t judge, we love. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Seasons Greetings!. 

The Call of Christmas

Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins

Senior Minister, Sunshine Cathedral

Fort Lauderdale

There’s a lot of ugliness in the world. There’s fear, sadness, injustice, and conflict. That’s why we need holy days. Every religion offers days to celebrate possibilities and show gratitude for resilience, and in my faith tradition, Christmas is such a day. Christmas reminds us that there is joy to be found even in uncertain times. Christmas presents angels reminding us that peace is possible and goodwill is our inheritance. Christmas is needed when the world seems out of whack; it reminds us to dream of better days and to work to make those dreams come true.

Christmas Eve Services at Sunshine Cathedral: 7 PM and 9 PM.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES

Christ Lutheran Church

1955 East Oakland Park Blvd.

Service at 7:30pm with preservice Jazz celebration of our Lord's birth at 7:00pm

The Parish of Sts. Francis and Clare

2300 NW 9th Avenue - Powerline Road, Wilton Manors, FL  33311

Service at 10 PM - Mass followed by dessert, punch and coffee. 

United Church of Christ Fort Lauderdale

2501 NE 30th Street, Fort Lauderdale 33306

Service at 8:00pm, including a Chamber Orchestra and Candle Lighting 

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

1750 East Oakland Park Boulevard

Children's Christmas Pageant - 4:30 p.m.

Prelude Festival of Music - 7:00 p.m.  AND 10:30 p.m.

Choral Eucharist - Rite II  - 7:30 p.m.  AND 11 p.m. 

St Nicholas Episcopal Church

1111 E Sample Road,Pompano Beach FL 33064 

5:00 p.m. Christmas Lessons & Carols with Holy Communion.

The 10:00 p.m. service will be a traditional Choral Eucharist.

A spirited reception will follow both services (Eggnog & Blender Drinks)

Sunshine Cathedral

1480 SW 9^thAvenue,  Fort Lauderdale 

We Need a Little Christmas!

Services at 7pm and 9pm

Both services with orchestra 

This was a very difficult week for our community. Eleven good and pure souls were extinguished by hate simply because they were Jews.

The holiday season is concluded for another year, the menorahs and creches and candles and lights put back in storage, and our attention wanes regarding the list of resolutions we so recently and resolutely made.

This time of year, we hear a lot about new year resolutions.  A resolution is an “intention to do or not do something”.  The question we must ask ourselves is “How do we turn this intention in to a reality?” A resolution that works is not an event, it’s a lifestyle change.  

At our church, instead of a one-time hour-long event, we are claiming the entire month of January as a “travel plan” to discern and navigate our journey for the new year. We have contacted our travel agent (God) and plan a month-long trip whose destination stops include Sundays of Epiphany, Burning Bowls, Baptism and Letters to God.

January 6^th, on Epiphany Sunday we look back at where we have traveled before and learn from those trips. What have been our motivations and how have they worked for us in the past? Like the Wise Men, we will choose to be guided even more by the light that exists within us. We will review our encounters with the divine. We will commit to grow, change and being transformed, and are open to infinite possibilities as the spirit guides us to her plan for us.

January 13^th, on Burning Bowl Sunday we travel to the land of discernment and throw away the souvenirs that we have been carrying around for years. We toss in to the fire, life’s experiences that we have allowed to hold us back and keep us from feeling connected with the divine. We send them to the department of “lost luggage”, never to be seen again.

January 20^th, on Baptism Sunday, we make a statement to the community of people who travel with us.  We share our firm commitment to our divine travel plan.  It’s also a commitment of those who travel with us to support one another and to love one another even when there are layovers or temporary canceled flights!

And last but not least, January 27^this “Letters to God” Sunday when we will print out our itinerary for the new year. We write a personalized travel plan to God.  This itinerary is returned to us six months later for review and possible revision for different routes or modes of transportation.

God invites to New Beginnings.  Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome to pack your bags and come travel with us.  All Are Welcome!

United Church of Christ Fort Lauderdale

2501 NE 30^thStreet

Fort Lauderdale, FL  33306

www.UCCFTL.org

Facebook:    UCCFTL

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

954.563.4271

Services:  Sundays and Thursdays at 10:30am

Despite the tumultuous domestic times in which we live, there’s reason to give thanks for God has graciously gifted us much – each one of us. We give thanks for the wonder and bounty of creation and pray humanity will be a good steward for future generations.

Like most religious organizations, Congregation Etz Chaim exists for the benefit of our community. For us this includes LGBTQ Jews, straight Jews, spouses of Jews, folks who are curious about being Jewish, those who like being around Jews, friends of Jews, and those who resist categorization. 

Their names were Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior…at least according to biblical tradition. But very little is known of them, and what is known is based on traditional stories and interpretations more than any information of a decidedly factual nature.

Gone are the days of “Blue Laws” which mandated commercial establishments be closed on Sundays because people were to be in church. Now people are free to shop and play or just sleep in on Sunday mornings rather than go to church.

Resurrection Sunday is behind us, but Easter is not. The feast of Easter is a liturgical season of fifty days – i.e., the Great Fifty Days of Easter. Eastertide lasts through the Feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church.

For millennia, people of all faiths have worshipped their God with music: The Book of Psalms is not only a collection of poetry, but also Hebrew songs of praise.

I have spent decades in Jewish and LGBT community work, learning about and employing all sorts of revolutionary programs that brought in great amounts of money and offered a wealth of promised results, only to repeat the cycle of programming year after year, decade after decade while the problems either remained the same or morphed into something even more toxic. Eventually it seemed to me that there must be an error in how we are thinking and acting in our attempts to ease social pain and inequalities. How was it that the same situations that we read about in the Bible are still with us today; we remain burdened with hunger and homelessness, the poor treatment of the widow and orphan, economic slavery, spotty healthcare, and environmental destruction. Ecclesiastes was right, there’s nothing new under the sun, and no matter what we do we are fated to do it over and over with the same results, like a mashup of the Matrix and Groundhog Day.

When we perceive life solely from the mind, through the lens of our egoic nature, we focus on the separation, strife and conflict.  

Greetings! December marks the first Sunday of Advent and it is also World AIDS Day.

Question: “Do you know what time it is?” Answer: “Yes. Now, do you want me to answer the question you asked, or the question you intended to ask?” A little boy goes up to his mother and asks her “What is sex?”

Our journey begins with ashes.  They remind us of what we once were and what we will someday become again.  In the Rite of Christian Burial we are reminded of this our nature, as we commend the body of our brother or sister to the ground, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” 

A friend, Monica is the most intelligent person I have ever met. You don’t know her. She and her wife, Amy have adopted 6 kids!!! Six! Let’s just say that Amy and Monica have chosen a journey that includes many experiences! 

It’s not about numbers.  Really, it’s not.  But sometimes numbers are the thing that jumps out and grabs your attention, especially when the numbers reflect wonderful Sunday church attendance in the middle of summer! 

We are certainly living in unsettling times with the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. I have a range of emotions surrounding this pandemic. At times I feel unsettled and nervous and waves of near panic can grip me. At other times I feel very much protected, calm and safe.

When the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE the rabbi sages of the Jewish community were faced with an impossible situation.