The First Noel the Angel Did Say – Dec. 29, 2022
The first Noel the angel did say,Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,On a cold winter’s night that was so deep. … They looked up and saw a starShining in the east, beyond them far,And to the earth it gave great light,And so it continued […]
O Little Town of Bethlehem – Dec. 27, 2022
O little town of Bethlehem,How still we see thee lie!Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,The silent stars go by;Yet in thy dark streets shinethThe everlasting Light;The hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in thee tonight. -Hymn lyrics by Phillips Brooks
Life-Light
In the story of the annunciation, Mary responded to the angel, “How can this be?” That simple question echoes through the centuries and reverberates in me today. Close to Christmas morning now, my heart kneels in wonder at the incomprehensible mystery of the eternal Word and the specific Word of Jesus. The poetic beginning of John’s Gospel […]
Bewilderment
We enter this week before Christmas telling the story, beginning with these simple words: This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.* I am struck by how ordinary (i.e., messy) is the start of the life of a Messiah. Messy in that it is not what we expect, not all that tidy and neat, and […]
