“The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”(Luke 2.20) Like many others our family didn’t have an expansive budget at Christmas. Whatever preexisting financial pressure there was, it didn’t dissipate in December. My parents took this in stride, however, and Christmas never felt lacking butRead more
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring greatRead more
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2.14) My wife and I recently wandered through the Christmas decoration department of a local store. Among the ornaments and other trappings was a particularly large nativity set. All the regular characters were present (shepherds, angels, etc.)Read more
“… there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished …” (Luke 2.16-17) A friend of mine was marveling this week at how many people are interested inRead more
You remember that scene. Charlie Brown is at his wit’s end, distraught and disillusioned about Christmas. Surely it has more to do with all these trivial trappings, all this commercialized nonsense.“Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?!” he shouts when his plans of trying to make sense of Christmas are falling through. LinusRead more
Drawn in darkest green-gloom sits the Water-mouth, mighty cedar, mountain, Striking some somber note, haunting note: Mystery for the unsurprised mind; Depth where imagination dim-delves; A portal unknown known through The wall drawing.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of theRead more
“…our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part…some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary…” (1 Corinthians 12) Part of growing up in Christian maturity is comingRead more
Many times in the gospels we see Jesus’ disciples struggling to keep up or getting things the wrong way round. This might be somewhat encouraging for anyone trying to follow Jesus today – a welcomed reminder that following Jesus isn’t always as easy as you might think. In Jesus we meet a new kind of person, someoneRead more
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all (Emily Dickinson) Whenever I preside over a funeral or memorial, joining with and serving people in grief, there’s often talk about the last experience shared with the loved one being mourned. WeRead more