Tag: Advent
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“What Are We Waiting For?”
Thankfully and joyfully, the kingdom of heaven is a present reality as much as it is a future expectation
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“A People Prepared for the Lord”
Zechariah reminds us: it’s hard – but not impossible – to accept the good news of the gospel in today’s world
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“Night and Shining Armor”
“the full armor of God” is really indistinguishable from the Christian life – “putting it on” means taking up that way of life of faith and hope and love in the strength of a gracious God
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Third Sunday in Advent
We learned that the wife of one of our dear classmates passed away early this morning. It shades everything. Here, now, in the middle of this hectic season of relentless merriment, we are thinking of our friend and of loss and of grief … We often say, I often say, that “we don’t just have…
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Second Sunday in Advent
For I YHWH love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing … Isaiah 61:8 Our pastor this morning pointed out that in the text of Isaiah 61:1-4, or however many verses people often read in church around this time of year, it’s easy to miss the judgment in those words “proclaim the year of YHWH’s favor.”…
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First Sunday in Advent
Examples matter. Images matter. This morning our opening hymn was “Awake, Awake and Greet the New Morn” – a great one. [Here is a congregational version, with lyrics.] The third verse goes like this: In darkest night his coming shall be, when all the world is despairing, as morning light so quiet and free, so…
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Second Sunday in Advent
Along with many other congregations around the world, our congregation is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the composition of “Silent Night” this Advent season. This involves some attention to each of the verses of the song, and using some new music composed for the occasion that we are struggling a bit to learn, and some…
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First Sunday in Advent
[A sermon, “Something to Know By Heart,” delivered this morning at a small church in southern Indiana; the main text is Deuteronomy 6:1-9; also refers to Luke 21:34-36] Today, as we know, is the First Sunday in Advent. Here is what the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship says about the season of Advent: ‘Advent’ means…
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Third Sunday in Advent
Three vignettes from the Third Sunday in Advent, here in our congregation: In our class discussion of Acts 14, we came to a conclusion: Luke is saying “the church is a community of dramatic new life.” So, think about the church today. Would we agree with that description? People in class said yes. “I’m happier…
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Second Sunday in Advent
I learned a few things this morning. That the word “comfort” originates in the word for “strengthen.” That in the Bible verse “I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil” (Jeremiah 29:11) which is quoted everywhere and shows up that way in about 1,000 memes, the word translated…
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First Sunday in Advent
Yesterday, our pastor explained to our tiny congregation that the First Sunday in Advent is the “Christian New Year” – at least in the sense of it’s being the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. Happy New Year. Every year, Christians who have this liturgical consciousness embark on an annual cycle of observance, remembrance,…
Matters of Interpretation 