Isaiah 11:1-10
Advent 2A
[…] treat each other well. Will people? As a text at the midpoint of Advent, Isaiah 11 reminds us that for all the ways we try to downsize Christmas and make it neat and tidy and local and mono-toned (all peace, joy, and cheer for ME!), the coming of God’s Chosen Messiah is finally so […]
Isaiah 35:1-10
Advent 3A
[…] 35 has to take a little timeout to acknowledge the presence of the hurting and doubtful among us, so we as preachers need to take Advent and Christmas timeouts to recognize that not everyone in the “holiday season” is festive. Not everyone wells up with tears when they sing “Silent Night.” Some people are […]
The Innocents (2016)
[…] sure, close in its picture of God’s holy family and, yes, kingdom come. Maybe the film should end there, but there is a postscript of sorts. At Christmas one nun arranges for a photograph of this new reality and sends it to the now long-absent physician rescuer who looks at it ever so wistfully, […]
Wide Awake (1998) – 1
[…] just about everything a ten-year old can find on the new resource called the internet. And in pursuit of such, sometimes one does strange things at class Christmas parties. None provide an “answer” for Josh, and by spring he is resigned to admitting that God is not there, at least in any way that […]
Lent 2: Christ the Hen
[…] from some church leaders about the threat represented by such-and-such a political figure, by this or that organization, by the so-called “culture war” or “the war on Christmas.” Some keep saying that it’s the people “out there” who are the problem. But sometimes the longer and louder we say that, the more people “out […]
Lent 4: Everything I Have
[…] are aware that the husband of this one couple never comes to church except maybe on Easter and maybe when one of his kids is in the Christmas program. But every time this couple has a baby—and they keep seem to having them—there he is standing next to the pastor, holding the baby at […]
Lent 1B: Where the Spirit Leads
[…] is really also all about us even yet today. The first striking feature to these verses is how suddenly Jesus appears from out of nowhere. Mark skips Christmas altogether, of course. So suppose you were someone who had never before heard of Jesus. Suppose you had never before read Matthew or Luke and so […]
Exodus 3:1-15
Proper 17A
[…] of Christ’s Kingdom among us. Illustration Ideas The great thing about the twist to focus on the Moses-Mary parallel is that no one is going to see Christmas coming on Labor Day weekend (in the US). The more you can do with this abrupt and unseasonable change of focus, the better! Don’t be afraid […]
Romans 8:6-11
Lent 5A
[…] to show up. And by grace and in Christ, it most assuredly does! Illustration Idea Back in Kindergarten, maybe you did a craft in school as a Christmas present for your parents. Perhaps it was a papier mâché ornament for the Christmas tree. Years later maybe you took another look at that ornament: it’s […]
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