December 5/First Thursday of Advent The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. ~ Matt 7.25 Anyone who lives in a hurricane-prone coastal plain, as I do, is well acquainted with the destructive power of the rain, the floods, and…
Keeping Advent 4: The Host with the Most
December 4/First Wednesday of Advent On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines. ~ Isa 25.6 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ~ Ps 23.5 Then he took the seven loaves and the…
Keeping Advent 3: If I Only Had a Heart
December 3/First Tuesday of Advent Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” ~ Luke 10.21 As a perennial student, I have always felt a special respect, bordering on reverence,…
Keeping Advent 2: The Boss
December 2/First Monday of Advent The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” ~ Matt 8.8 After a long period of banishment, humility may be becoming fashionable again. Earlier this fall, no less an authority than the New York Times reported…
Keeping Advent 1: It’s About Time
December 1/First Sunday of Advent “Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.” ~ Rom 13.11 “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. ~ Matt 24.44 The two-minute warning is a well-attested parenting technique for easing transitions…
Advent Reflections Start December 1!
The Advent season is a time of hopeful expectation, as we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child. Again this year, I will be offering daily Advent reflections by email. These brief reflections are accompanied by a prayer and a link to the day’s lectionary readings. The reflections will begin Sunday, December 1 and conclude on Christmas…
Song 40: Limbo
April 20/Holy Saturday I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence.You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. ~ Ps 16. 8, 9,…
Song 39: Handing Off
April 19/Good Friday Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O faithful God. ~ Ps 31.6 To put our bodies into the skilled hands of a surgeon or a physical therapist is an act of trust, and an admission that we do not possess the knowledge, the experience, the power to heal ourselves on our own. …
Song 38: My Cup Runneth Over
April 18/Holy Thursday I will lift up the cup of salvation, and will call on the name of the LORD. ~ Ps 116.13 On the eve of Christ’s painful, shameful death upon the cross, we are invited, paradoxically, to lift up the cup of salvation. Given the events that will unfold this night — the Last Supper with the disciples’…
Song 37: Flying Solo
April 17/Wednesday of Holy Week Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak, I looked for sympathy, but there was none; for consolers, not one could I find. I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. ~ Ps 69.21, 31 On a recent trip to Jerusalem, I was deeply moved by…