The theme from the lessons today is about call. We heard from Isaiah, “Heads up. Listen up. God called me when I was in the womb, and He named me.” From the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” The Gospel is St. John’s account of the call of the first close followers of Jesus. Two of St. John the Baptist’s close followers peel off and go and follow Jesus. One of them is St. Andrew, who then goes and recruits his brother, Cephus—Peter. The stories are about different calls and different ways to be called.
Manifesting Christ in Our Lives
This is a season of manifestations, but it is not just about manifestations. It is also about how the people respond. How do they integrate into their lives what they have just experienced? How does that manifestation transform into an integration into their very being? So we will hear stories like the Magi—how they responded by the giving of gifts? How did the disciples respond? They responded by dropping everything and following him. Simeon responded by knowing that his life is now at peace and he is able to go because a promise has been fulfilled. Peter, James, and John respond by wanting to hunker down and dwell in that moment and build booths, tabernacles, and dwelling places for the three of them. These are all ways people responded to the experience of encountering Christ in this world.
Wise Men
It is 5:00 in the morning. The house is quiet and cold on this winter morning and you hear the rain outside falling on the pavement and the trees.
You have been startled awake by a vivid and very strange dream. You toss in your bed for a bit, but sleep eludes you and the dream haunts you. Perhaps by going over it in your mind, you’ll be able to go back to sleep.
Celebrating Our Closeness to God
Christ is Our Nourishment
God Kindles a Fire in Our Darkness
Christmas feels like home and all the comfort that word conjures up inside of me. And yet, I’m acutely aware as we read this Gospel tonight, that the first Christmas was anything but home for Mary and Joseph. They were not home for the holidays when this day first became holy. They were at the end of a long journey, having just left their home, a journey that had been made much more difficult given the late stage of Mary’s pregnancy.
God is with us
On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we always hear of The Annunciation, that story of the angel coming to prepare the new parents for the coming of their child. When we use the phrase, The Annunciation, we usually refer to Mary’s Annunciation when the angel came to her. That is Luke’s story, but this year we are given Matthew’s story, which is a lesser known annunciation of the angel coming to Joseph.
