Elsa Anders Cook
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Advent and Christmas Candle Liturgies
Today and yesterday, I’ve read some really beautiful liturgies from friends and colleagues preparing for Advent. Check out the beautiful liturgies written by my friends Teri and Martha. Advent is only three Sundays away. Three Sundays. And it was 77 degrees outside yesterday. I… Continue reading
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The Warmth of God’s Saints
All Saints is one of my very, very favorite liturgical celebrations. It is a ritual that was introduced to me in the liturgical laboratory of my seminary. Sitting in James Memorial Chapel, I experienced for the very first time what… Continue reading
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The Hill of the Lord
This Sunday is one of the days in our liturgical calendar when I would rather be sitting in the back of the Sanctuary quietly praying. But, I am called to preach. I’m called to guide myself and others through the holy… Continue reading
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Running Naked
It was only a few weeks ago that I found this beautiful passage from a colleague’s sermon on her blog Spacious Faith. That little passage from her sermon archives inspired what I preached that Sunday. I tend to be in… Continue reading
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Hoarse with Prayer
Between spurts of writing my sermon today, I checked Facebook. It seems it is something that every preacher does. When God isn’t speaking clearly, preachers open their browsers to scan posts on Facebook. Today, I kept coming back to the same story… Continue reading
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A Few Good Things
Just two weeks ago, I ventured to Cape Cod to officiate the wedding of one of my college friends. And you know what? Weddings are fun. I say this as someone who is super busy planning her own wedding and has a bit… Continue reading
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My Grief Has A New Name
My grief has a new name and its name is wedding planning. Way back when in July, I said yes before the fireworks. We had talked about it for so long — or what felt like so, so, so long… Continue reading
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The Things They Carried
Just the other day, I heard a story on National Public Radio about the objects that are being collected and preserved after September 11, 2001. Though I am a New Yorker, I wasn’t even in the country on that terrible day. I… Continue reading
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A DIY Faith
It was only a month ago that I dared to imagine what might be possible with the good folks gathered from #NCLI15. Together, we dared to imagine to get past the headlines preaching decline and destruction of the church and we did… Continue reading
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Called to the Local Church
This morning, while on the second retreat as part of the Beyond the Call: Entreprenuerial Ministry, I offered this testimony. It is a truth that I struggled to say out loud. It is a truth I struggled to admit to… Continue reading
Cooking with Elsa 