Every now and then, God calls us into a bigger world. In my hometown there was a local grocery store with an oversized parking lot. The extra space would often be used by various vendors – fireworks in the summer, Christmas trees in December. When we would drive by I would often look to see […]
and now we fall into this grasp of cold – of white and black, and never ending night.It’s here again, but so am I. So boldto face the winter’s snow, to win the fight. Ever since I moved to the northwest I have dealt with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I grew up in a much warmer […]
“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 […]
Music can be sanctifying. It can be a tool of the Holy Spirit to form the image of Christ in us. Music is a means of grace. Last year I began a tradition of forming a short playlist as a way of reflecting on the year. What have I learned? Where have I seen God? […]
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 […]
“You visit the earth and water it,You greatly enrich it;the river of God is full of water;you provide the people with grain,for so you have prepared it…You crown the year with your bounty;Your wagon tracks overflow with richness.”Psalm 65:9, 11 NRSV The red, yellow, and brown cover the groundand turn to grey and slick and […]
Every pastor has had the experience of preaching a sermon only to notice that one or more congregants have fallen asleep. Perhaps they are just resting their eyes, we try to tell ourselves. They are prayerfully blocking out distractions so that they can hang on every word. Then their chin droops down to their chest […]
The Local Pastor 