Music has the profound ability to inspire us to move beyond our current circumstances. In the midst of a confusing and new situation, Mary reveals the strength of her devotion and faithfulness in song. Scholars have come to refer to her song as the Magnificat and serves as an example of the character of Mary […]
During this season of sentimental commercialism it’s easy to forget that loving someone is not always straight forward. Sometimes, in fact, when we act out of what we think is Love we hurt other people. The love of Christ is different because it is a love born out of confession. We confess that we do […]
Advent means waiting. While the rest of culture is in full swing gearing up for Christmas, the birth of Christ, and all of the consumerism that goes with that celebration, the church is waiting. We are not waiting for the birth of Christ, we are waiting for the second coming of Christ, the realization of […]
The only constant in life is that we ought to expect the unexpected. Our hope should not be different. The beauty of an unexpected hope is that unconditional grace is the outcome. This is certainly the case for Jesus’ birth. The savior of the world was born in an unexpected way and in an unexpected place […]
Questions and doubts are often frowned upon by Christians; they are perceived as reflecting a lack of faith. Questions and doubts, however, provide the opportunity for us to find the answer. During Advent many people as the same question as John the Baptist, “Is this the one?” How do we answer that question for ourselves? […]
John the Baptist urges us to consider that hoping for the coming of Christ requires something of us. “Bear fruit,” he says. Hope is expecting, but hope is not merely waiting for what we expect. Hope is changing our habits and living differently. As we prepare for the Christ child, perhaps we need to listen […]
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us to be ready and the prophet Isaiah speaks of the glory of what we are told to anticipate. Our challenge is that many of us do not expect Jesus to return anytime soon. The first step of hope, is managing our un-expectations. How would we change our […]