Matthew 2:1-12 As we begin a new year, it’s appropriate to look back to another beginning: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face […]
John 1:1-14 Several years ago, Erin Dunigan, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, spent two weeks in Israel to learn about the crisis between the Israelis and the Palestinians. During the fortnight she and her delegation spent in Israel, they visited with people, listened to their stories, and heard about […]
Luke 2:1-14 Christopher Henry is a pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis . . . and a couple of years ago, while he was visiting at the hospital, he stumbled upon one of God’s children – a nineteen-year-old unmarried girl who, five months earlier, had prematurely given birth to […]
Isaiah 12:1-6 Today the Advent candle of joy illumines our path, guiding our steps, enlightening our minds, leading us to draw water from the wells of salvation, where (as Isaiah reminds us) all God’s people will trust and not be afraid. At the well of salvation, we do not need […]
Luke 1:67-79 Some of you may be familiar with an organization called DoSomething.org. It’s one of the largest organizations in the world for young people, and they communicate with young constituents, not by mass mailings or glossy flyers, but by text messages, because that is how young people communicate. So, […]
Jeremiah 33:12-16 A couple of years ago, the Smithsonian Magazine published an article with the interesting title, “Do Trees Talk to Each Other?” The title intrigued me because even though I am familiar with Tolkien’s Forest of Fangorn which is home to the huge walking, talking tree-beings known as the […]
Revelation 1:4-8 Almost 20 years ago, for Thanksgiving, Cathy and I traveled to Monroe, Louisiana, to share the blessings of the day at my brother’s house. He and his wife had invited members from both sides of their family to gather together for a delicious meal in a spirit of […]
Psalm 127:1-2 and Mark 12:28-34, 41-44 When we speak about the accomplishments of others, particularly when someone goes above and beyond, we say that “they gave it their all.” That they left it all out on the field. Their physical strength. Their mental toughness. Their emotional investment. Their intellectual jostling. […]
Micah 4:1-4 and Ephesians 1:11-12, 15-23 It is often said that elephants never forget, and I have to imagine that this saying originates, at least in part, from the ways in which elephants respond to death. Because, in many ways, they remind us of ourselves. Which begs the question, “do […]
Psalm 145:8-14 and Matthew 11:25-30 Our family has two dogs. Tate, the oldest, is a Double Doodle. He’s half Poodle, a quarter Labrador, and a quarter Golden Retriever. Tate follows his nose wherever it leads him, which, when he is indoors, is straight to the kitchen. He’s what we call […]