Gaining a heart of wisdom
Chopping up the last of my garden carrots and sweeping them into a snowy-day soup, I marveled at their color and texture, so much brighter and more tender than any store-bought veggie, even though they were yanked out of the ground by my exuberant grandson back in October. It's clear that these orange roots were… Continue reading Musings: December 2017
A few verses in Matthew are all that are granted to the tragedy of slain baby boys following the birth of Jesus. Christian Churches in the west have memorialized Herod’s paranoid panic as Holy Innocents’ Day, celebrated historically on December 28th, the fourth day of Christmas. In Medieval England, children were awakened to the solemnity… Continue reading Toward a Sensitive Observance of Holy Innocents Day 2017
Story has a way of capturing the imagination. Biography brings theological principles, life lessons, and spiritual wisdom to life as I bear witness to the grittiness, lived-out in a transformed journey. Poor choices and besetting sins become cautionary sign posts that might just keep me from going over the same cliff. Karen Wright Marsh shares… Continue reading The Marks of a Sinner’s Saintly Story
It was a day like any other day in the life-long ministry of Zacharias the priest. With Elisabeth’s goodbye kiss still warm on his cheek, he went about his business, reporting for duty in his scheduled commitment to serve in the Temple. It was a day like no other day when the honor of entering… Continue reading A Day Like No Other Day
“Wait,” He said, and locked His gaze with eleven pairs of eyes brimming with question marks. “Wait. I have been your constant companion for three years, walking long deserted roads, sharing our meager meals, sleeping under the stars. I have answered your questions and rebuked your faithlessness, and now it is time for me to… Continue reading Wait for the Spirit of Christmas
For the past several years, change has been the only constant in our Christmas celebration. Grown up sons marry, pack up their collection of treasured ornaments, and hang them on their own trees. College guys come home when they can and join in the fun on an intermittent schedule. Teens branching into individualized creativity grab… Continue reading Loving My Mid-Life Christmas
Christmas is the season of listening. We gather around the story of Luke 2, as it's read aloud. We hang sleigh bells on our Christmas trees and on our door knobs and enjoy the nostalgia for days when holiday traffic was all "over the river and through the woods." Carols ring out in the most unlikely… Continue reading A Season of Listening
My husband said, "Amen," and five voices immediately joined his as we sang our morning blessing song around the breakfast table. Seth, an overnight guest, looked from face to face with an expression bordering on terror until we sang the last note, and then blurted, "Do you do this often?" We did. Because we wanted… Continue reading We Need to Talk About Singing
When a pastoral search goes well, everyone wins. Last year when a soft-spoken lobsterman rose to his feet and challenged us at Spruce Head Community to seek a shepherd who would lead us and love us, we began praying and seeking to that end. The seeking and the finding has united us, and we are… Continue reading A Bundle of Letters on the Church’s Doorstep
In the month of December, the Christmas story often stands alone, lifted with huge parentheses out of the New Testament — maybe delivered in Linus’s hushed boy soprano, and then tucked away with the durable resin nativity set and the white twinkly lights until next year. It’s a great story, so it’s easy to see why… Continue reading Word Made Flesh — A Celebration of Reading for Advent
Living Our Days 