Category: Church Seasons
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He and Us – Thoughts on the Nativity from St. Ambrose
“He was a baby, a child, so that you may become a complete, mature person. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that you might be freed from the bonds of death. He was in a manger, so that you may be on the altar. He came to earth so that you may be Read more
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Advent, A Season of Uncategorized Life – A Sermon on John 1:6-8, 19-28
Most of you have heard enough of my preaching and teaching to know that when it comes to either/or questions my default response is “yes.” Is it this or is it that? Yes. This isn’t about playing a game, being evasive, or trying to be difficult. I am simply trying to be faithful. We encounter Read more
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Advent, A Season in the Wilderness – A Sermon on Mark 1:1-8
The wilderness, John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord. They are three major images in today’s gospel, Mark 1:1-8. They are three signposts on the Advent journey. They are three windows into our heart. I want us to think about them in the context of last Sunday’s gospel, Mark 13:24-37. Last Sunday was Read more
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Daytime Lives and Nighttime Lives – A Sermon on John 3:1-17
Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:1-17, Lent 2A). I wonder if that’s not true for all of us. I wonder if we don’t all come to Jesus by night. Some have said that Nicodemus was hiding in the darkness. He was embarrassed. He was scared and didn’t want to be seen or caught. Read more
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The Contradiction of Life Veiled and Unveiled
The older I get the more aware I become of how my life, my way of being, is filled with contradictions. It is neither all darkness nor all light. It is both at the same time. I have said things I wish I could take back, made decisions I regret, and done things that don’t reflect Read more
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Walk Away from the Manger
The crowds from last night’s liturgy have gone home. There’s just a few of us here this morning. The noise, song, and voices of last night’s celebration have fallen silent. The candlelight of Christmas Eve has given way to the dawn of Christmas Day. That sounds a lot like the second half of St. Luke’s Read more
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Luke, Tell Me the Story Again!
There are some stories that simply bear repeating. Children want to hear the same old bed time story. Lovers tell the story of meeting and falling in love. Parents tell the story of their child’s birth. Tonight the Church tells the Christmas story. None of these stories are new. They have been told throughout the Read more
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You are More than the Circumstances of your Life
“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” When I look at the various situations and circumstances of my life, the joys and sorrows, the successes and failures, the hopes and the disappointments, the struggles and the accomplishments, I so want to find Read more
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O Come, Emmanuel
O come, Emmanuel Wisdom from on high Branch of Jesse’s tree Key of David Dayspring from on high Desire of nations Emmanuel Read more
Interrupting the Silence 