The computer never forgets. It even remembers a sermon written eighteen years ago. Looking back today, it seems to me this sermon marked a milestone in my own spiritual unfolding.
I do not follow Richard Rohr’s daily meditations online, but many people in the community in which I serve, do read Rohr’s reflections every day. I am grateful that often some of these faithful readers forward to me reflections they feel might be particularly pertinent.
I do not know exactly how many years I have been writing a Christmas story to read to the children in church on Christmas Day, but it is at least thirty.
Perhaps there is a third category.
You have to feel for John the Baptist. He burst upon the scene with such promise and excitement.
Every year over the past three decades, I have written a Christmas story to read to the children who attend worship at St. Philip on Christmas Day.
There is a difference between “Aggressive” and “Strong”. “Strong” never resorts to “Aggressive.”
There is a lot of talk these days in some circles about “church decline.” The conversation is not new, nor surprising. But it seems to take on renewed energy as two prominent United Church congregations in the city where I live announce plans to amalgamate their communities.
The life of Isaiah the prophet traversed dark and difficult times. During his ministry Israel was beset on all sides by threats and violence. The present lacked all security; the future was shrouded in uncertainty.
The English word “Advent” comes from the Latin “Advenire” which means “to come.”
