Luke 1:5-17 Well, here we are at the beginning of Advent. I was thinking this week about when I was a kid and remembering that from Thanksgiving on it seemed as though Christmas would never get here. Now, as an adult and particularly as a preacher, it seems like we just had Christmas last week …
Fourth in the series “Wonder Women of Advent” 2 Samuel 11 We have come to the fourth Sunday in Advent and the fourth of our “Wonder Women” from Jesus’ genealogy. So far, we’ve looked at the troubling story of Tamar, who went around the law in order to obey the law and get justice for …
Part IV of the Advent Series “A Family Christmas” Matthew 12:46-50; I Peter 2:4-10 There’s a lot of debate out there these days about what constitutes American family values. Those values have become a political football in recent decades, with candidates running on various platforms that give visions of the ideal family. When I mention …
Part III of the Advent Series “A Family Christmas” Luke 2:39-52 Ever since the time of the early church, Christians have wondered about the “lost years” of Jesus–that period between the stories about his birth and the beginning of his public ministry at about age 30. That’s a pretty big gap of time to cover …
In Wisdom and Favor – The Family of Jesus Continue Reading »
Part I of the Advent series “A Family Christmas” Genesis 1:26-28; Matthew 3:13-17 The first Sunday in Advent is always a time of anticipation. The decorations are up, Christmas music creeps into our consciousness, cookies are being baked, gifts are being purchased and wrapped. It’s a time for traditions, a time when we harken back …
Fourth in an Advent series on Charles Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 5:12-21 One of the more interesting and, for me sometimes, inconvenient tasks of the Christmas season is the whole putting up the Christmas tree thing. While I like having a Christmas tree in the house, it’s the whole process …
Third in an Advent series on the theology in Charles Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Philippians 2:5-11, John 11:17-27 One of the things about turning 50 is that it causes you to get a little bit nostalgic. One of the birthday presents I got a couple of weeks ago was a little booklet that …
First in a series on the gospel in Charles Wesley’s famous carol, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” Luke 2:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 One of the dilemmas that preachers run into during Advent is which hymns to plan for the congregation to sing during the season. Liturgically speaking, Christmas hymns should be reserved for Christmas, when …
Hosea 1:2-10 It must have been frontpage news at the supermarket checkout counters in Israel, right next to the hummus and the Tic-Tacs: “Local Prophet Marries Prostitute” screamed the headline of the Israel Inquirer. “Holy Man Hosea Hooks Up with Hooker” winked the Samarian Post. You can just imagine the pictures—the paparazzi following Hosea around, …
Micah 5:2-5a So, have you put up your Christmas tree yet? We have the same debate every year at our house—when to put it up, when to take it down, etc. I know lots of people have different traditions about the tree. No matter when you put it up: on Christmas Eve or the day …
Expect a Miracle: A Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent Continue Reading »
Luke 2:22-38 So, what’s on your “bucket list?” You know, those things you want to do in life before you kick the bucket? Mine? Well, mine’s pretty simple: First, finish my dissertation! Then write a real book that more than ten people will read, spend some time living and studying in Scotland, teach a college …
Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 One of my favorite places to visit in Israel is the national museum, which is kind of like our Smithsonian—a repository of things that define the history and culture of the country. The Israel Museum has a number of magnificent exhibits, including a 1/50 scale model of Jerusalem at the time …
Well, today we begin the Advent season, and this Sunday is actually the beginning of the new year in the church calendar—a time of preparation and anticipation of Christmas, a time of waiting for a great event—the birth of a baby. Is there anything more worth waiting for? I know what it was like when …
The First Carols: The Magnificat (Luke 1:26-38, 46-55) Continue Reading »