Category: Speaking to the Soul

“The light of Christ is reflected in the faces of Mary and Joseph, and the band of shepherds, in adoration, one and all.”

“One day when Zechariah was on the rota to serve in the inner court at the altar of incense, and he was alone, the people praying outside, an angel appeared to him and terrified him. “Do not be afraid.” A statement which is meant to calm, but also a statement that God is present in this angelic messenger, and that is terrifying. And the angel told him many things, this angel who was Gabriel who stands in the presence of God.”

“For Paul, Jesus is the fulfillment of centuries of longing. He is the embodiment of the fulfillment of scripture. In the ways the world has of seeing, he is the son of David.  From the point of view of the “spirit of holiness” he is the Son of God.”

“Jewish custom required that a male child be circumcised on his eighth day after birth. Everyone seemed to think the baby should be named Zechariah, after his father, but Elizabeth told them that the child’s name would be John. What a kerfluffle that made! Children were usually named after their father or at least a deceased relative so that the child would carry on the name, but there was no one called Yochanan in the family so why would they name him “Jehovah has been gracious” or “has shown great favor” (the meanings of the name in Hebrew)?”

“Scripture describes stinginess and oppressing others as “hardening our heart”–but in reality, we’ve hardened our brains.  Brains too hard-wired can’t move very far in the direction of generosity.”

“This tree preaches resurrection as quietly as resolutely as can be. Our redbud is a marvelous reminder of the wisdom of waiting, of watching, of being alert to the subtle signs of life that can suddenly come into focus before our eyes even in the dead of winter, the same beautiful message encapsulated by the season of Advent.”

“This lighting of the Christmas tree is one way they get to practice bringing light into the world. They’re only 5 and 2 but in a world that feels ever more dark, we need all the practice we can get bringing light and hope to fruition.”

“The warnings in Scripture should not be taken lightly, old fashioned tales believed by the uneducated and superstitious, metaphors, means to control the meek. Hear them as real as today’s headlines. But this is not a call for Kool-Aid and tinfoil hats. This is a call for repentance, confession, seeking forgiveness, placing our hearts in fear and trembling before our God, letting ourselves be healed. Not punished. Healed.”

“What had we gone out to see?  That day, as the crowd around us cheered, we witnessed the total eclipse of the sun.”