Whenever I invite people over, I check the house—at least the public parts. Is everything relatively neat and clean? Laundry hanging anywhere? Kitchen counters cleared? Magazines and books straightened? If people show up unexpectedly, they get what they get, and it might not be pretty. I could even be embarrassed that things aren’t as perfect as I’d like them to appear. In one of this
Sermons
Isaiah’s words from today’s first reading always get to me in a different way each time we read them. The writer of the passage says “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them” (Is 42:9). You’ll have to give me some latitude in this annual report, because in order to talk about this year and the future, I first
You won't find a sermon for today, because it's actually our Christmas Eve service. And you won't find a sermon for January 8, because it's actually my report for our annual meeting. But we'll be back soon with regular sermons!
Listen to what happened to me tonight… you’re never going to believe it, but I swear I’m not making it up. We were out in the fields outside of Bethlehem, just watching the flocks like always. We had to stay awake, or at least take turns staying awake, to make sure that the sheep stayed calm and to protect them from all the wild animals. I had settled in by the fire to wait out the long,
We are almost there... we are almost to Bethlehem… and you have been so very patient! For three Sundays now you have heard the pain and the hope, the judgment and the deliverance of Advent... those themes we hear in anticipation of the Messiah. This is the final Sunday before we celebrate the miracle of Jesus’ birth. And until we do, the color is still Advent blue, with all the humility and