The sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays lift our spirits and warm our hearts. But these holy days are frozen in melancholy for those who work the land: For the farmer whose acreage lies fallow under a blanket of snow and ice, for the backyard gardener whose little plot sits as dull and lifelessContinue reading “A Pure Heart”
Tag Archives: Advent sermon
A Worshipful Heart
According to AAA, nearly 82 million Americans were expected to travel 50 or more miles over last weekend’s Thanksgiving holiday. And among that horde going over the river and through the woods, 6 million hardy souls got to grandmother’s house by airplane. And all those flyers yearned (or even prayed) for hassle-free journeys that satisfiedContinue reading “A Worshipful Heart”
A Listening Heart
An ecumenical mix of thoughts and reflections from a handful of Christian writers have strongly influenced the foundations and practice of my faith and belief. Words from Parker Palmer, a Quaker, encourage me to live more courageously and authentically. “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conformsContinue reading “A Listening Heart”
An Old Heart Becomes New
At the risk of reducing the grand truth of our relationship with God to a few mere words, let me say this: God loves you just the way you are. If you think God’s love for you would be stronger if your faith was more muscular, you are wrong. If you think God’s love forContinue reading “An Old Heart Becomes New”
Sing Along with Moses
When your mind’s made up, you don’t often change it, because, well, change is hard. Our history as individuals and communities proves the point. Yet look back even a mere handful of decades in our lived experience to discover that certain beliefs are changeable and attitudes do change: Many for the better, others not soContinue reading “Sing Along with Moses”
Not Now, Not Yet
One of Scripture’s many blessings comes its invitation to see ourselves in its story. With the insight of the Holy Spirit, you see yourself in a character, living in a community, having a conversation with another. Maybe even with the Lord himself! The poetry of ancient psalms lifts your heart to God in praise andContinue reading “Not Now, Not Yet”
‘Mortals, Join the Mighty Chorus’
The miracles surrounding the birth of Jesus begin to pop and sizzle long before that cold, dark night in a manger stall. Months earlier, an angel visits a man named Zechariah and shares astounding word that he and his wife, Elizabeth – long past her child-bearing years and like Zechariah long resigned to being childlessContinue reading “‘Mortals, Join the Mighty Chorus’”
Glad Tidings of Great Joy
“How does a weary world rejoice?” The question for our Advent is as honest as it is challenging, looming large over heart, body, mind, soul, and spirit: How does a weary world rejoice, when everything in and around feels like it’s coming apart at the seams and flying off the rails? It’s a confusing paradoxContinue reading “Glad Tidings of Great Joy”
Speaking to Suffering
The dramatic events surrounding the birth of Jesus begin to unfold long before the expected cast of characters starts arriving in Bethlehem, and for our discipleship during these Sundays of Advent, Luke’s Gospel has been sharing those miraculous scenes. Luke’s curtain rises with the archangel Gabriel visiting Elizabeth and Zechariah, an elderly, childless couple who’dContinue reading “Speaking to Suffering”