Elsa Anders Cook

  • Pandemic Prayers for Easter 5A

    I join the circle of preachers who have expressed their familiarity with this text at the graveside. It’s the Gospel Lesson I always choose when the family doesn’t steer me in another direction, not because of the many mansions or… Continue reading

    Pandemic Prayers for Easter 5A
  • Easter at Home with Babies and Toddlers

    When I was in my very first call and was still saying I wasn’t sure I was called to be a parent, I led a conversation for the monthly potluck shared by parents and children about faith at home. It… Continue reading

    Easter at Home with Babies and Toddlers
  • Pandemic Prayers for Easter 4A

    After I posted the prayers last week, I felt awkward. I wondered if these prayers could speak to such a broad audience. I wondered if it was even possible to capture the vastness of this pandemic into a few words.… Continue reading

    Pandemic Prayers for Easter 4A
  • Pandemic Prayers for Easter 3A

    Our whole lives have been interrupted. We are attempting now to live as people of the resurrection when death tolls continue to rise. Some states are lifting their orders for shelter in place. Businesses will reopen slowly. Some are even… Continue reading

    Pandemic Prayers for Easter 3A
  • Naming the Dead

    On Friday, I attended a conversation hosted by the BTS Center called It’s Okay to Grieve. Allen Ewing-Merrill, the new Executive Director of this organization, is also a friend, He and his wife and sweet girls arrived in Maine while… Continue reading

    Naming the Dead
  • Ingredients for Worship

    Way back when I left my last full time call, nearly five years ago, I established this little home on the internet. I had read a bunch of books about blogging then. The trouble was that my internet home wasn’t… Continue reading

    Ingredients for Worship
  • Embracing Wonder with Children

    There are specific things with instructions that parenting requires. Potty training, I am learning, is one of them. There are steps that your child must understand for success. First, she’s got to pull down her pants and then sit on… Continue reading

    Embracing Wonder with Children
  • Thirty Three Years Later

    Last night, my baby girl couldn’t sleep. It has been many months since she was up every two hours but last night she returned to this familiar routine. She wasn’t always hungry. It seemed that she just wanted to know… Continue reading

    Thirty Three Years Later
  • An Expert In My Own Grief

    Expert was the word that made me laugh in her email. I do not feel like an expert in anything. I’ve rather owned that pastors are the last generalists. We dabble in this and that. We have a lot of… Continue reading

    An Expert In My Own Grief
  • Christmas Comes

    Christmas comes in the ordinary. It comes into a guest room where strangers are welcomed as friends. A place is made for another night of rest. Two expectant parents wonder if this will be the night. No matter what may… Continue reading

    Christmas Comes