Come Home for Christmas
In the Fullness of Time
On this First Sunday after Christmas, the 2nd day of Christmas, we gather to continue our celebration of the Incarnation (God becoming one of us in the person of Jesus Christ). Our Scriptures are Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Psalm 148, Galatians 4:4-7, and Luke 2:22-40. Mary and Joseph follow the law and the ritual that has been part of Jewish life for centuries when they take the baby Jesus to the Temple for circumcision and for Mary to be purified according to…
What About Joseph?
What do you think was going through Joseph’s mind when Mary told him this amazing story about the angel’s proclamation? “Does she really expect me to believe this?” Can you imagine how disappointed he must have been? As Mary’s betrothed, he had the option of having her stoned to death… he could do that if he wanted to deal with the shame. No, he was going to dismiss her quietly so that they could both move on with their lives.…
Mary Did You Know?
Mark Lowry wrote a poem in 1984 to be used in a Christmas play at his church. Music was added in the early 90’s and a Christmas classic was born. The song asks Mary if she knew what her newborn baby would accomplish in life. Well, according to Luke’s Gospel, she did know. She expressed her knowledge when visiting her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist (see Luke 1:39-56). The knowledge that Mary had was that her…
An Encounter With An Angel
Our Scriptures for this Second Sunday of Advent are Isaiah 7:14-16, Psalm 80:1-7, and Luke 1:26-38. The candle representing peace is lit in the Advent wreath and takes its place with the candle of hope that was lit last week. Our theme this week is the encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel. In a week when we have heard another reason to fear with the Michigan school shooting, we need to hear the angel’s message that we don’t need…
Time to Go Home
Happy New Year, Church! Today is the first Sunday in Advent, marking the beginning of a new liturgical year. Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of Messiah. Today, we introduce you to the season and a new series based upon Advent entitled Come Home for Christmas. When we think of Christmas/Advent, we don’t usually think of an apocalyptic text. Yet, that is what we find in the Gospel for today, Luke 21:25-36. When paired with the Old Testament…
