Episodes
Monday Dec 28, 2015
Let Us Go and See (Luke 2:1-20)
Monday Dec 28, 2015
Monday Dec 28, 2015
The Christmas narrative from Luke chapter 2 is familiar to anyone who has ever seen the TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." And it is, as Linus says, what Christmas is all about. But what does Luke's narrative of the birth of our Savior really tell us, about us and our relationship with God? This isn't just a story we tell once a year, but it is an historical account of an event that happened to actual people in a particular place. This Christmas Eve our prayer is to find some deeper meaning in the words that we have read so many times before.
Saturday Dec 26, 2015
Mary's Song (Luke 1:39-45)
Saturday Dec 26, 2015
Saturday Dec 26, 2015
We come to the fourth sunday in Advent and we take a deeper look at Mary's song of praise, known as The Magnificat, named for the word in Latin that means "magnify." When we look at God through the lens of modern society in America, often it is as if we have the telescope turned around the wrong way. But when God touches us, as he did to Mary, very often the eternal part of us sees God just as he is - all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere and always with us. God's love also seems even bigger when our soul magnifies him in our eyes.
Tuesday Dec 22, 2015
What Should We Do? (Luke 3:7-18)
Tuesday Dec 22, 2015
Tuesday Dec 22, 2015
The third Sunday of Advent is about Joy. Today's gospel from the Lectionary might seem to be one that is not very joyful. John's sermon in the wilderness by the Jordan starts with the words "You brood of vipers!" Not exactly very joyful words. Yet as we will see in this week's lesson, sometimes the good news seems so much better in light of the bad news. And we also find that the bad news often compels us to cry out, "What, then, should we do?"
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Are We Ready? (Luke 3:1-6)
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Monday Dec 21, 2015
On this second Sunday in Advent, we come to the person of John the Baptist, who is preaching a baptism of repentance. His coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah and those prophetic words were repeated in all four gospels. He is the voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. In today's message, we see how John's words echo across the centuries to today, and how we can apply them in our lives. So the question for us today is not whether Christ will come again, but rather, are we preparing the way for his coming?
Monday Nov 30, 2015
The End of All Things (Luke 21:25-36)
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Monday Nov 30, 2015
The word "Advent" comes from a Latin word that means "to draw near." That is what we are doing with the Advent season, drawing near to the coming of Christ. But as most of us associate Advent with the first coming of Christ, perhaps the more important focus of the Advent season is the anticipation of Christ's return. While we don't cower in shadows or hide in sanctuaries impatiently awaiting the second coming of Christ, we are to live our lives prepared for when he does come - and the words of Jesus today in Luke's gospel advise us to do just that. So as we begin a new liturgical year, let us also draw near in anticipation to the return of Christ.