For the past two Sundays of Advent, scenes from the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel have been moving us toward Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. In both scenes, the angel Gabriel has been hard at work bringing incredible news to unlikely recipients. First, Gabriel visits the AARP-card-carrying Zechariah and Elizabeth and shares the surprisingContinue reading “Holy Cow and Zoinks!”
Tag Archives: Advent
A Pink Cowboy
Pretend for a moment that a cold winter’s night finds you snuggled into your living-room recliner under a comfy blanket. And as you surf through the channels on TV, you stumble into the middle of movie. Two cowboys are standing about 30 yards apart in the middle of a dusty street. The men’s hands hangContinue reading “A Pink Cowboy”
Video meditation: Lighting the Fourth Candle of Advent
“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30) Of three possible responses to fear – fight, flight or freeze, Mary is, perhaps, frozen by the appearance of the angel, whose greeting and message leave her perplexed and pondering. But fear doesn’t paralyze Mary, whoContinue reading “Video meditation: Lighting the Fourth Candle of Advent”
Connecting the Dots
It was a rookie mistake, and I made it. I’d been serving here just a couple years, and a few weeks out from Christmas, I sat down to assemble the elements for the Christmas Eve service. To refresh my memory, I dug out the bulletins from previous Christmas Eves and noted that we always endedContinue reading “Connecting the Dots”
Something New Begins
The gospels of Luke and Matthew tell the Christmas story as we much prefer to have it told. But the gospel of Mark takes a much-different tack to welcome Jesus to our world. Mark skips all the stuff of peace on earth and mercy mild and gets right down to brass tacks. His version of events opens with a quick nod to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and a cameo appearance by John the Baptist.
Like Those Who Dream
Even as most of us are flipping the switch that turns on the holiday lights, the Church points us toward a Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent that looks ahead to that great, coming day when all the lights will go out – for good! As we prepare to celebrate assurance of theContinue reading “Like Those Who Dream”
Video meditation: Lighting the First Candle of Advent
The opening verses of Psalm 126 provide the theme for our celebration of Advent and Christmas this year: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” What does it look like to live as those who dream? The biblical characters of Advent and Christmas – John the Baptist, Mary,Continue reading “Video meditation: Lighting the First Candle of Advent”