Christmas Eve 2014

The Christmas story is filled with interruptions...the engagement, the pregnancy, the first night...what do we make of these interruptions in the story?  What do we make of the interruptions in our lives?

Advent IV and Average Joe

Mary gets the attention, but the other member of the holy family is quite impressive.  As we follow his role in Jesus' birth we learn anew what it means that Jesus is, "God is with us."

Advent III: Mary and Joy

n our society today, many children do not know THE Christmas story.  Why bother passing on this story?  In the encounter of Mary and Elizabeth we find one answer:  the Joy that comes from Jesus Christ.

Advent II: John the Baptist

No matter how you try to make sense of it, John the Baptist is a strange guy.  Locusts, camels hair, the river Jordan, “brood of vipers”, etc.   Rather than try to explain away his “out of the box” behavior, we can point to and rejoice in the work of God, who works through and on behalf of those outside of society’s box.

Advent I 2014: Keep watch!

Jesus today tells the people to keep watch.  As we look toward Christmas, we too must keep watch.  Not that we will fall asleep, but that overwhelmed by all the "stuff" of Christmas, we will miss the true purpose and beauty of this season.

Past mistakes are not the future

The imagery in Isaiah 2 has inspired Jews and Christians for centuries.  It is God's vision for humanity but also God's vision for the people of God.  The more we get into these words, the more we realize just how amazing they are.  They are a reminder that our future is not limited by our past or our present but belongs to God.