I remember asking the what-to-do question in my teen age and early adult years as I thought about and made decisions. I asked it during my separation and after my divorce. I asked it after our son Brandon died. I’ve asked it after I said or did something that hurt another. I’ve asked it when I felt lost, overwhelmed, powerless, scared, or guilty. I’ve asked it when the pain of the world is palpable, when those I love and care about are hurting, when others are dealing with the hardships and the difficulty of life. What then should I do? Who and how do I want to be in this moment? Does any of that sound familiar in your life? When have you asked the question? And what was going on?
Tag: Advent
What Has Laid Claim To Your Life? – An Advent Sermon On Luke 3:1-6
What do you see when you look at your past? What are the feelings and thoughts?Regardless of how we view our past, regardless of what did or not happen back then, to the degree we are enmeshed, entangled, or enslaved to our past, “we can expect the future to look like the past” (Caputo, The Weakness of God, 169). We repeat the same patterns, tell ourselves the same old stories, and listen to same old voices. And not much changes. Life becomes static and we are stuck in the past trying to live a life that is no longer. John’s call for repentance is the call for us to face and deal with our past.
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The Unforeseeable Future – An Advent Sermon On Luke 21:25-36
In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of the “‘Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” I think that’s a metaphor for the future. I’ve recently begun to think of Advent as the coming of our future, and a time when we prepare, as best we can, if we can, for that future. What comes up for you when you look toward or think about your future? How do you live with a future that is unforeseeable?
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Shh, Be Quiet, It’s Advent.
A new liturgical year begins this coming Sunday, December 2, 2018, with the First Sunday of Advent. The Season of Advent consists of the four Sundays before Christmas. The liturgical color for Advent is purple or sometimes blue. We will…
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Creator of the Stars of Night
Creator of the Stars of Night is an Advent chant with words from the 9th century. The music, Conditor lame siderum, is plainsong chant, mode 4. This rendition is by two choir members of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Uvalde. Creator of the stars…
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Wisdom Answers – An Advent Reflection on the O Antiphon
“O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth.”
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Advent Hope – Fr. Daniel Berrigan
“It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss— This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish…
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Beauty, Hope, and Repentance – A Sermon on Matthew 3:1-12, Advent 2A
Matthew 3:1-12, Advent 2A If last week’s gospel (Matthew 24:36-44) called us to wake up and be watchful of the worlds within us and around us, then this week's gospel (Matthew 3:1-12) calls us to respond. “Repent, for the kingdom of…
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Entering Advent in Hope: An Advent Credo by Daniel Berrigan, SJ
“It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss— This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish…
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Advent Preaching in Year A, The Gospel According to Matthew
Below are links to my previous sermons for Advent, Year A, the gospel according to St. Matthew: Advent 1A, Matthew 24:36-44 + 2016: Advent in America: Politics and Baptism. Advent 2A, Matthew 3:1-12 + 2016, Beauty, Hope, and Repentance. + 2013, Too…
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Interrupting the Silence 