The Lord's Prayer ended with the bang of dozens of fists that landed on open palms after a circular motion and a thumbs up in a joint "Amen!"

Five years ago, photographer Eric Pickersgill and his wife, Angie, were lying in bed, backs turned to one another, looking at their phones. When Pickersgill dozed off, his phone slid from his hand and hit the floor. The sound jolted him awake.

I have always found the proximity of Christmas and New Year's to be a rather fitting arrangement. Yes, the "Christmas sniffers" have informed me, many times, in fact, that they are quite sure Christ was not born on Dec. 25.

Do you believe that God intervenes in the affairs of mankind, or do you consider the philosophy where he stands back and calmly watches everything happen?

This article is part of "Religion: Got questions?," a series answering your biggest religious questions.

Faith-based performances, programs and events in the Chattanooga region.

Pope Francis offered a Christmas message of hope Wednesday against darkness that cloaks conflicts and relationships in large parts of the world from the Middle East to the Americas to Africa.

Volunteers from the Chattanooga Jewish community served a free meal provided by Erlanger hospital to family members visiting Erlanger patients as well as some hospital employees.

Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — "even the worst of us" — as he celebrated the joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and opposition.

Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a music-filled Christmas Eve service at a Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated church before celebrating the holiday with dinner in the ballroom of his private club.

Notre Dame Cathedral is unable to host Christmas services for the first time since the French Revolution, because the Paris landmark was too deeply damaged by this year's fire.

When my children were little, I read them the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. This passage is from the last book in that series, "The Last Battle":

It's a little late to still be doing Christmas shopping (like I am), especially for anything that needs to be shipped. Even so, books that pass on Christian worldview are worth the hassle, and I've got four to recommend for you this Christmas. In fact, you might want to self-gift some of these.

Another year has flown by, and Christmas is just a few days away.

Editor's note: This article is part of a series answering religious questions. Each week, we will answer one submitted faith question. This week's question was not submitted but was a timely divergence. To send a submission, visit timesfreepress.com/religionquestions or email wmassey@timesfreepress.com.

Church performances, programs and events leading up to Christmas

The Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints has seen a record 1,000 cases reported from around the world this year, including from countries it had not heard from before — suggesting that the worst may be yet to come in a crisis that has plagued the Roman Catholic Church.

A major evangelical Christian magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham on Thursday published an editorial calling for President Donald Trump's removal from office.

Local pastors have hundreds of options when they approach the pulpit. Which scriptures should they turn to?

A collection of attacks on worshippers in 2019.

Between 2014 and 2017, the divorce rate in Jacksonville, Florida, and surrounding Duval County fell 24 percent. Of course, divorce rates are falling nationally already, possibly because fewer people are bothering to get married.

There was a time when I did not have a clue about the extensive training and dedication of our first responders.