Mary, Your mother, prophesiedGod is Holy,showing mercy to everyone.God scatters the proud,pulling down arrogant thrones,feeding the hungry,and lifting up the lowly. Zechariah, Your uncle, prophesiedGod is merciful,saving us from those who hate us,rescuing us from our enemies,so that we can serve God without fear.God’s deep compassion breaks upon us like dawn,God’s mercy lights our path,God’s […]
Tag Archives: christmas
If we were appointed a taskforce to write a holy book- I doubt we would write anything like the Bible. I imagine we might begin with a glossary defining terms like Adoration, Belief, Creator and Christ. We might list helpful practices, add some rules or commandments. Instead of creeds and rules, the Bible is full […]
“Blessed is she who believed what was spoken by the Lord!” It all begins with women. Have you noticed how the Bible’s two cornerstone stories, the Exodus and The Incarnation, begin with women? Exodus begins as Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, refuse to uphold Pharaoh’s diabolical plans. Then Moses’s mother and his sister, Miriam, hatch […]
By beginning, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed,” Luke highlighted the power of the occupying Empire to inconvenience not just Mary and Joseph but the whole world. Historians note that “Quirinius” stretches the historicity of Luke’s timeline, but a particularly cruel governor, Quirinius” remind […]
When one of our good friends was expecting her second child, her three year old had a lot of questions. Three year-olds remind us that questions open the door to knowledge. Do we use the word “expecting” to describe pregnancy because we do not know what the future holds? Will the baby sleep, will we […]
Have you ever had a moment so holy, so beautiful and good, that you couldn’t find your words? Some volunteer priests served their whole lives and never got the chance to lead worship in the Temple, but the lot fell to Zechariah. As the sun set, Zechariah put on the lavish priestly vestments, stepped behind […]
When the time had come. Elizabeth spent five months in seclusion sometimes feeling judged, she spent 9 months of pregnancy, she spent hours breathing and pushing John into the world. Zechariah spent 10 months in silence. When the time has come to raise a child, begin school, start a career, end a relationship, retire, move, […]
Earlier in chapter one, Luke tells us that Elizabeth “was righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord,” but she and Zechariah were unable to have children and were getting on in years. Each year, Zechariah went to Herod’s temple to serve as a lay priest for several […]
We started English as a Second Language and after school tutoring at that church when a small group of educators wanted to connect with the town’s growing Hispanic community. There was some opposition. One dear saint suggested we check for green cards before offering ESL classes. When I asked if we would be checking everyone’s […]
“Are you the Expected One, or should we look for another?” John the Baptist’s disciples came wondering if Jesus might bring a deeper rest, or if they should take their expectations elsewhere? The Christmas shopping season is filled with expectations and longings for connection, contentment and joy. We hope Santa leaves us a Lexus with […]
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