“Fall on your knees…” The music of Christmas is truly wonderful, isn’t it? It’s just so – joyful. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” I suppose one of the reasons we enjoy the music of Christmas so much is that we only bring it out once a year. … Read More
~ Luke 3:7-18 ~ Repent, I say, repent! Not a word one warms up to, is it? Street preachers, sweaty tent-meeting revivalists, “fire and brimstone” bible-thumpers all come to mind. Yet, here comes John the Baptizer telling people to repent. They didn’t warm up to the call for repentance any … Read More
~ Luke 1:26-38; 46-55 ~ I was introduced to a poignant poem this past week thanks to the musical inspiration of Bay Area composer, Frank La Rocca. The poem is written by Sister Columba Guare of the Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa. The poem, itself, was inspired … Read More
~ Luke 3:1-6/Luke 1:68-79/Malachi 3:1-2 ~ Our third scripture lesson for today is taken from Luke 1:68-79. It’s called the Benedictus (which is Latin for “blessed”). The Benedictus is the prophecy pronounced by Zechariah upon the birth of his son, John the Baptist. The church has included the Benedictus in … Read More
~ Jeremiah 33:14-16/Luke 21:25-36 ~ Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the time of preparation for Christmas; the coming of the Christ child. However, the makers of the scriptural lectionary, the collection of texts that we in the Reformed Tradition rely through the church year, did … Read More
John 18:33-37/Revelation 1:4-8 Who is Jesus? On this last Sunday of the church liturgical year, Reign of Christ Sunday, figuring out who is Jesus becomes a bit more pertinent since it is all tied up in this “reigning” issue. As the image on the front of our bulletin suggests, the … Read More