Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47 ‘Tis the Sunday before Christmas, and throughout the world, Christians are celebrating the birth of our Lord. Well, not quite. We are close to celebrating his birth, but we are not quite there yet. We’re concluding our observance…
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4-5 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance. Luke…
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord." Luke 3:4 I want you to think of a time in your life when something happened that threw your life out of kilter. You lost your job, for example, or you got a new one, or you retired. You moved to…
Jesus said: “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34-35 Today (December 1, 2024)…
[Zechariah said:] “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,…
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 This Third Sunday of Advent has a good old-fashioned church name that I kind of like - it is called “Gaudete Sunday,” gaudete being the Latin name for rejoice. It…
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4 Well, it’s that time of year to watch all of the many Christmas movies and specials, and it seems like there are more of them every year. Everyone has their favorites, and that’s true for me too.…
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47 I love the question that John Wesley is reported to have frequently asked of those he encountered, which is: How is…
Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus teaches us at least three things: The surprise of Christmas, the gift of Christmas, and the mission of Christmas. Here is my sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Praying with John the Baptist: My sermon on Matthew 11:2-11 for the Third Sunday of Advent.
My Pastoral Ponderings 