Tomorrow evening we begin our celebration of the birth of Jesus. This is a time when we not only celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we also open the many gifts that we’ve received from loved ones. As we unwrap our gifts, we often try to guess what’s in the packaging. Sometimes we’re ...
CHASE BOTTORF/THE EXPRESS It’s been 800 years since the first Christmas manger scene was created at a midnight Mass. On Dec. 24, 1223, the manger scene began after a request from Saint Francis. The scene was celebrated in a cave on the property of a wealthy man with Saint Francis as ...
Worship in the Woods LOCK HAVEN — Members invite everyone to join a Christmas Worship in the Woods at Big Woods Bible Church, 241 S. Hanna St., Lock Haven, that will be running every Friday and Saturday night in December starting at 6 p.m. every 30 minutes until 9 p.m. This outdoor display of lights has over 8,000 LED lights that are synchronized to music. Volunteers will help park you and bring you hot chocolate and cookies. You will stay right in your car and will be given instruction on how to tune in so that you can listen and enjoy the music depicting the true meaning of ...
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage. But while the Vatican statement was heralded by some as a step toward breaking down discrimination in the Catholic Church, some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it underscored the church’s idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships. The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two ...
The humble beginnings of our Lord and Savior is present in most minds this time of year. We look around and see the representations of Jesus in the manger everywhere we go. We see Jesus laying there wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger just as Luke described it and we begin to believe we have grasped some part of the humility needed for Jesus Christ to come to this earth and be born among us. The truth is that Jesus could have been born in a palace surrounded by all the riches in all of the world and His Incarnation would still be the humblest action possible in the universe. Jesus ...
Christmas Program MACKEYVILLE — The Mackeyville United Methodist Church will be filled with lots of music and Christmas treats Sunday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to join in this Christmas tradition. December Services LOCK HAVEN — Great Island Presbyterian Church will celebrate Advent in worship every Sunday at 10 a.m., including Christmas Eve morning, Dec. 24. The church will also have its annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, members will have a “Blue Christmas” service which is "a survival guide for the holiday season. A ...
