Goshen College continues tradition of online Advent devotions at goshen.edu/devotions

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As churches and individual Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, Goshen College will again offer an online spiritual resource at www.goshen.edu/devotions to help believers make time and space in their hearts and minds to welcome Advent and celebrate Christmas.

Beginning Nov. 24 (the Monday prior to the first Sunday in Advent) and culminating on Christmas Day, Goshen College students, faculty and staff will provide weekday reflections based on the Sunday’s upcoming lectionary Scripture passages, available online at www.goshen.edu/devotions, by daily email or via an RSS feed. Many writers will reflect on the Advent theme: “Oh, That You Would Reveal Your Mystery,” taken from Leader magazine, which is produced jointly by Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA. This year’s Advent worship resources were written by a team from Mennonite Church Alberta.

Organizers intend the devotions to provide a moment of pause and peace, sharing the thoughts of individual believers to enhance the personal reflections of readers. The short reflections could be used as a centering tool at the start of a day or a way to wind down in the evening. Either way, the writings and Scripture passages can help Christians concentrate specifically on the meaning and mystery of the Advent season.

Since 2001, Goshen College annually offers online devotions to celebrate Advent and Lent, special seasons of the church calendar. The popularity of the devotions continues to grow each year and there are now more than 9,000 online subscribers, representing many different denominational backgrounds and countries.