“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem.” – Matthew 2:1 (Common English Bible) The story of the wise men from the east who come to see Jesus is one in which we might be overly familiar. Over-familiarity is […]
Christmas is Practically Here So here we are at the end of Advent. Tomorrow evening the Advent songs will appropriately give way to Christmas carols. The wait is almost over. Almost. As we enter into the final hours of Advent, what ought to be our mindset? Our attitude? Our posture? Many of us will spend […]
And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than […]
There are a number of different themes that can be used to lead us through the four Sundays of Advent. Probably the most commonly used themes today are Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Sometimes these might be found in differing orders, sometimes one or the other is replaced by Faith. But, at least in recent […]
Now that Thanksgiving is over and December is here, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas (though, as usual, I began to see the Christmas décor creep into stores before Halloween was over). Nevertheless, the season of Advent reminds us that before we can celebrate Christmas, we must first endure a season of […]
The Local Pastor 