Jesus is Risen!

Jesus is Risen!

Growing up, my ideas of what happened after Jesus’ crucifixion were fuzzy. What did all of the big words mean: resurrection? ascension? Pentecost? When did they happen? Why? I did like picturing tongues of fire. What I appreciate about “Jesus is Risen!” is that it tells Jesus’ story as a single narrative from the empty tomb to Pentecost, rather than as disconnected events remembered on different days of the liturgical year.

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Mother God

Mother God

I read hundreds of picture books a year. Right now, at my toddler's request, I read some books hundreds of times. "Mother God" by Teresa Kim Pecinvosky and Khoa Le stands out among them all as one of my favorites. I am thrilled to add it to our family book basket and share it with you. Words and images can limit our understanding of God or help us near God. We limit God by only having a few ways to describe God. And we can near God through multiple words and images. Reading "Mother God" helps me expand my own images and understanding of God. It gives me hope in knowing that my child will grow up with feminine images in addition to the masculine images currently throughout my tradition's liturgical language.

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The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children

“The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children” by Katherine Paterson and Francois Roca invites the reader (and listener) into Jesus’ sacred story in a way that encourages wonder. As Easter Sunday approaches and we celebrate all of Jesus’ story, I encourage you to share this story with the young ones in your life in your own words and, if you’d like, the words of others.

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The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights

The Beatitudes bring up more questions than answers for me and I wish I could sit down with Jesus and ask him to say more. I am therefore grateful for people, art, and messages that enter into the Beatitudes with Holy imagination and make them come alive within our world. "The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights" by Carole Boston Weatherford and Tim Ladwig does this beautifully.

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