The Gospel of Luke provides a unique glimpse into the Christmas story. In Luke chapter 2 we read of yet another person that celebrates the birth of the Messiah. Neither Simeon nor Anna received an angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth. There was no star guiding their path. Instead, both people recognized Jesus amidst the hustle […]
It is so easy to celebrate the birth of Christ by doing everything for others. We prepare our homes for our friends and families. We get the perfect gift for our loved ones. God, however, celebrates Christmas not by doing things for us, but by being with us. The gift of Christmas is that God, […]
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 […]
We end the sermon series with the celebration of Epiphany. Like the 3 wise men, hope does not always land at our doorstep, sometimes we have to go looking for it. As we start the New Year we think about practices we can take on that help us find hope everyday.
On Christmas Eve we celebrate that the hope that we have been waiting for has arrived. The challenge for many of us, however, is that we often don’t recognize the hope that has come. We don’t recognize because we are looking for the grandiose, when long ago the Holy One was born in a barn. […]
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 […]