Despite the fact that Pope Alexander II had ordered a very simple and somber way of “deposing” the Alleluia, a variety of farewell customs prevailed in many countries up to the sixteenth century.
Posts Tagged ‘traditions’
Message, Myth and Meaning
Posted by Sharon Pearson on February 1st, 2012
I live so close to Gillette stadium that my younger son and I thought we were under air attack when the jets made their flyover before the AFC Championship game in Foxboro, MA. We are not football fans and were going about our usual Sunday afternoon business when the Patriot’s–Raven’s game got underway.
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry 
Tags: Christian formation, football, liturgy, Super Bowl, traditions 
No Comments »The Year of the Dragon
Posted by Sharon Pearson on January 22nd, 2012
Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to honor one’s elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
Shrove Tuesday = Pancakes!
Posted by Sharon Pearson on January 19th, 2012
Although Lenten regulations varied with time and place during the Middle Ages, this was the day all households were to use up all milk, eggs and fat to prepare for the strict fasting of Lent. These ingredients were made into pancakes, a meal which came to symbolize preparation for the discipline of Lent, from the English tradition
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: children's ministry, family ministry, intergenerational, Lent, pancakes, Shrove Tuesday, traditions No Comments »The Feast of Christ’s Epiphany
Posted by Sharon Pearson on January 2nd, 2012
The feast of Christ’s epiphany or “manifestation” originated among the Christians of Egypt in the third century. The date of January 6 was probably chosen because the Egyptians celebrated their great feast of the winter solstice on that day, in honor of the sun god Horus.
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: Christianity, Christmas, Epiphany, family ministry, intergenerational, Jesus, traditions No Comments »History of the New Year
Posted by Sharon Pearson on January 1st, 2012
The celebration of the new year on January 1st is a relatively new phenomenon. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March.
New Year’s Eve: Hogmanay Style
Posted by Sharon Pearson on December 31st, 2011
It may not be widely known but Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years, from the end of the 17th century to the 1950s. So the celebration of a New Year took on a huge importance.
Posted in Adults, Community, Featured Tags: Hogmanay, New Year's Eve, Scotland, traditions No Comments »The Origin of the Candy Cane
Posted by Sharon Pearson on December 20th, 2011
I know a bishop who gives out purple candy canes each Christmas eve to the children at the cathedral where he serves. There are lots of stories of how candy canes were invented to symbolically represent a variety of Christian themes.
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: candy canes, children's ministry, Christmas, traditions No Comments »God and the Santa Myth
Posted by Sharon Pearson on December 14th, 2011
Many children express the thought that God and Santa Claus are brothers. Teens report that when they stopped believing in Santa Claus they wondered whether or not God was real. It is not surprising that children can confuse the two and have similar questions and doubts.
Posted in Community, Featured, Spirituality Tags: children's ministry, Christmas, family ministry, God, parents, Santa Claus, traditions 1 Comment »Kwanzaa
Posted by Sharon Pearson on December 6th, 2011
Kwanzaa (December 26 – January 1) means first fruits and is a non-religious seven-day celebration created in 1966 in the midst of the Black consciousness movement in the United States. It therefore reflects the activism of that time and the call for cultural unity.
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: African American culture, family ministry, intergenerational, Kwanzaa, traditions Comments OffLas Posadas
Posted by Sharon Pearson on December 5th, 2011
In the classic Las Posadas, a group of “pilgrims” from a church goes out into the neighborhood, accompanied by a costumed Mary and Joseph (or carrying Mary and Joseph images).
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry, Service Tags: Advent, Christian formation, Christmas, Hispanic Ministries, hospitality, Las Posadas, resources, traditions 1 Comment »Ancient Future Disciples
Posted by Sharon Pearson on October 30th, 2011
Becky Garrison shifts the popular focus from the pioneers who founded emerging congregations to those finding appeal and belonging within them. What draws followers to these ‘emerging church’ communities? Why are they coming back, or are they? How do they understand themselves to be “church” or do they?
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: Christian formation, Christianity, emerging church, future, mission, resources, traditions Comments OffA Holy Halloween
Posted by Sharon Pearson on October 27th, 2011
The U.S. needs Halloween due to the “melting pot” nature of American society. It’s the only holiday of a spiritual nature that can be celebrated by all, regardless of faith status (spiritual but not religious, religious but not spiritual, or none of the above).
Posted in Community, Featured Tags: All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, death, Halloween, intergenerational, traditions Comments OffIdeas for All Saints’ Day
Posted by Sharon Pearson on October 23rd, 2011
On November 1st the church remembers the saints of God – all faithful servants and believers. The day is seen as a communion of saints who have died and of all Christian persons. All Hallows’ Eve, October 31st (from which our Halloween traditions come); All Saints’ Day; and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd – the Day of the Faithful Departed), are connected by tradition and are often celebrated together.
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry Tags: All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day, Christian formation, Christianity, Halloween, resources, saints, traditions, worship 1 Comment »Guiding Children Through Religion
Posted by Sharon Pearson on September 4th, 2011
Some parents feel responsible to shape their children’s religious foundations while others prefer to let kids explore faith for themselves.
Posted in Community, Featured, Spirituality Tags: children's ministry, Christian formation, Christianity, family ministry, parents, traditions Comments OffMaking the Connections
Posted by Sharon Pearson on August 18th, 2011
The return of the regular September-June program year brings with it new opportunities for formation and relationships.
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry Tags: adults, Christian formation, hospitality, newcomers, traditions Comments OffCreating a Prayer Space at Home
Posted by Sharon Pearson on August 2nd, 2011
When you create a Prayer Space in your home, you are reminded of God’s presence at all times, while also making a connection between church and home.
The Long Green Season is Here!
Posted by Sharon Pearson on June 13th, 2011
Pentecost was June 12th, and now we’re into the long green season of the church year. Green is the liturgical color for the season of Pentecost, and this season takes us from the Day of Pentecost until the first Sunday of Advent. That’s a lot of time.
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry Tags: children's ministry, Christian formation, church year, resources, summer, traditions Comments OffStorytelling: Essential to Christian Communities
Posted by Sharon Pearson on June 6th, 2011
My generation (at least in my experience) is in a place where the desire to know the stories of our families is intensified.
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry Tags: adults, Bible, Christian formation, Christianity, family ministry, storytelling, traditions, young adults Comments OffInviting, Inclusion, and Radical Welcome
Posted by Sharon Pearson on May 22nd, 2011
Is your community one of invitation, inclusivity or radical welcome?
Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry Tags: Christianity, emerging church, hospitality, mission, traditions Comments Off
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