Children see the world differently. For a toddler, a caterpillar is a miracle. For a kindergartener, a tall pine is a modern marvel. For any kid wearing galoshes, water is as much for joy as it is for survival. Then, somewhere in our childhood – in adolescence, maybe – peer pressure mounts to outgrow suchContinue reading “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”
Tag Archives: Advent
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”
Turtle-Watching
The Lord God sometimes – oftentimes – appears in unlikely places to share the unexpected gift of undeserved grace. Whenever that happens – whenever the joy of heaven to earth comes down, great, beautiful, and wonderful things begin to happen: Shadow becomes light. Darkness gives way to brightness. Wee hours dawn a brand-spanking new day,Continue reading “Turtle-Watching”
His Name is Key of David
A high-school chum somehow or other landed an after-school job as a custodian at our school. Now, it goes without saying that his part-time gig came with some very unpleasant duties, mostly involving lunchrooms, bathrooms, and locker rooms. But the job did come with what I thought were some very cool perks – like havingContinue reading “His Name is Key of David”
His Name Is Rod of Jesse
Of the many names for Jesus, the one you very-rarely-if-ever call on is “Rod of Jesse.” Yet, there it is – perched awkwardly atop a stanza of a familiar Advent carol: Rod of Jesse. “O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny.” We lift up the unusual name “Rod of Jesse,”Continue reading “His Name Is Rod of Jesse”
His Name is Desire of Nations
Advent sings of Emmanuel: God With Us, the very Son of God in our very midst, Jesus. As early-winter skies croon with reds, pinks, blues, and purples, Advent further carols the Dayspring, the morning dawn of daily mercies potent and fertile with the fresh possibilities of heaven. This morning, lyrics of Advent chant another nameContinue reading “His Name is Desire of Nations”
His Name Is Dayspring
In his salad days, Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf served as a draftee in the Yugoslavian army. But his hitch brought him no honor. Mr. Volf mustered in with two strikes against him already on the board: He was married to American; worse yet, he was a Christian. Thus, the communist army suspected him a traitor,Continue reading “His Name Is Dayspring”
His Name Is Son of God
Jesus. Immanuel. Immanuel. Jesus. You cannot speak of one without invoking the other. Jesus equals Immanuel. Immanuel equals God with us. Thus, Jesus equals God with Us. Your middle school algebra teacher was correct: A=B, and B=C, therefore A=C. Indeed, the math adds up: Amid profound brokenness and paralyzing fear, you can count on God’sContinue reading “His Name Is Son of God”
His Name is Immanuel
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign – daily living is full of signs. Two black digits painted on white, metal rectangle display a highway’s legal speed limit. A pair of arches signals the availability of fast food ahead. And hopefully you’re not too hungry, because bold lettering on an orange diamond shape warns of road workContinue reading “His Name is Immanuel”
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”