It has been a challenging season, but as Christmas draws near, let’s rediscover hope in the familiar stories of Jesus’ birth. I want to share how the Gospels of Luke and Matthew inspire the work we do right now. Luke emphasizes that Jesus was born poor and was first visited by poor, dirty shepherds—people considered… Continue reading To make a difference despite the turbulence of our times
Tag: Advent
Find joy in Advent music & poetry this Sunday 🎶
This Sunday marks one of the most soul-stirring occasions in our church year: the Sanctuary Choir’s Advent Musical Presentation! For many of us, music is a sacred pathway—a vital source of comfort and a profound avenue back to joy, especially when life feels heavy. This week, we move beyond the traditional sermon format (a change… Continue reading Find joy in Advent music & poetry this Sunday 🎶
Finding Light in the Waiting: A Progressive Advent for a Progressive Church today
As the days shorten and the calendar turns toward December, we enter the holy season of Advent—a time of intentional waiting, reflection, and preparation. It is a four-week journey in which we light the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love, not just as historical markers, but as active commitments for today. This year, let… Continue reading Finding Light in the Waiting: A Progressive Advent for a Progressive Church today
What’s important and satisfying than getting all the answers?
Browning Ware, wrote about the grace of Christ’s coming. He wrote: “When I was younger, I thought there was an answer to every problem. And for a time, I knew all of the answers. “I‘m not as impressed with answers as I once was. Answers seem so pallid, sucked dry of blood and void of… Continue reading What’s important and satisfying than getting all the answers?
Welcome the mess.
In his Advent devotional – Low: An Honest Advent Devotional – John Pavlovitz greets us, regarding this time of year, with, “Welcome the mess.” As odd as that sounds, it really resonated with me. That is, we paint a Norman Rockwellian picture of how this season should be with people behaving perfectly. We expect people to… Continue reading Welcome the mess.
Taking the wrinkle out of the irony of Advent
Advent is a complex season of ironies – Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are contrary to how the world operates. Advent is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus; yet it’s also a penitential season in which we examine and prepare ourselves for his promised return. During Advent we remember the first witnesses to… Continue reading Taking the wrinkle out of the irony of Advent
Broken people
When Wendy and I got married, money was tight. She had an art class in which part of the supply list was a huge set of oil pastel, every color of the rainbow and then some. Let me tell ya, they weren’t cheap. But, oh, they looked so good, just like the ones real art… Continue reading Broken people
What’s filled with awesomeness and is fantabulous?
I like to make up words – taking obvious phrases and expanding upon them. I figure, if Shakespeare could invent words, why can’t I? I often use these made-up words in notes and in conversations. Communicating things like: “You are filled with awesomeness” and “You are so fantabulous.” These are familiar parts of my vocabulary.… Continue reading What’s filled with awesomeness and is fantabulous?
The Race Is On
By now, the race is on. Thanksgiving leftovers are history, shoppers have come home with bags and bargains in tow, Amazon / UPS / Fed-ex are dropping off the online purchases, and the festivities have officially begun. For the next week or so, advertisements will dominate the airwaves, catalogs will clutter our mailboxes, and coupons… Continue reading The Race Is On
Advent is a season full of strikingly different juxtapositions
This is a challenging season for us. We know the stories of Jesus’ birth so well that they can easily become clichés, obscuring the awesome message that God has taken human form as a vulnerable child. So, what can we learn? Advent is a season which is full of strikingly different juxtapositions. The focus of… Continue reading Advent is a season full of strikingly different juxtapositions