” ‘Twelfth Night’ is a play full of fun and confusion, a parody of the pretensions of the rich and ‘noble.’ Its characters show a reversal of servant-master roles. There are violations of the strict rules of deference toward lords and ladies.”
“In each case what I remember most, of course, is the child. Our grandson was handed to us wrapped in a soft, little white blanket, his tiny hands fisting in a way that took my breath away. He opened his eyes and looked at me, and I knew I would do anything for this little soul.”
“I came across the remains of a tree that appeared to have lost a war with a small boulder. Time and water had exposed this battle, cutaway-style, and several years’ worth of history now lay open to inspection.”
“Getting their son’s name right mattered to Mary and Joseph, also. Both of them were told before Jesus’ birth the name of the child that we all know as the one who was born in Bethlehem.”
“Instead of mirroring the “How are you?” “I’m fine” greeting, the easy-to-answer questions from Jesus provoke people to engage more deeply. I wonder how we could attempt that, in our own practice?”
Halfway through packing for their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Temple and its sacrifice, the covenant and its blood, Joseph is distracted by the keening of the child. He had never noticed before how like grief a baby’s cry could be – wailing for the womb, mourning the waters from which it was drawn out and adopted into the world.
“And yet, we still commemorate the moment that the God of creation chose to enter human history, in a time and a place that held its fair share of loss, of poverty, disease, death and oppression.”
“Learning to read came hard for me. Left-handed and left-eyed I just naturally began on the right side of the page and tried to read left.”
“The beauty of the light that is life is like rainbow snow crystals, and it sets our hearts soaring with joy. ‘Glory,” says John, and “grace upon grace.'”
“As we go walk the Christmas season and look forward to Epiphany, let us remember to give to others. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money or tangible goods; it can be a simple welcoming smile or hug, listening, helping with rides to doctor’s appointments, or meeting whatever need might present itself.”