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Showing posts from November, 2011

Springtime

Today's bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s have me thinking about spring. Walking about this morning, I felt as if a peek at the calendar would reveal a date in mid-April, not late-November. While this may seem odd approaching the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, it actually strikes me as being spot on during this season of Advent. Spring has long been associated with rebirth -- and what is it we celebrate on Christmas? The birth of the Christ child -- and with the arrival of that infant in a manger, the rebirth and renewal of creation. You see, Advent isn't just about readying ourselves to remember an event from long ago but preparing ourselves to celebrate a new beginning, a new birth, God's new spring, this very day.

Stillness

One of the first things I do each morning is take the dog out to start his day (though at this time of year, "day" seems like a misnomer given how dark it still is at 6:00 am). Today, I was struck by the stillness, of a world that had yet to rouse itself before hurtling forward into whatever lay ahead. The silence provided time to think and reflect and, unbidden, the refrain of "O Come, O Come Emmnuel" presented itself: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come To thee, O Israel! Emmanuel -- Jesus -- is coming. Finding a still place, a silent moment, if even only for a moment, can help us prepare for his arrival.

Looking

Monday. The start of a new week. Some of us have gotten off to a fast start, others are dragging. Calendars for the week ahead may be full to overflowing or they may be achingly empty. Whatever the pace or tempo of the days ahead, though, we each share th same Advent opportunity: looking for signs of God's love breaking into our world. I hope you will join me in taking a few minutes each day of this Advent season to look for, and then reflect upon, these signs.

What Are You Waiting For?

What Are You Waiting For? Today's Gospel reading, from Mark 13, has been dubbed the "Little Apocalypse" by biblical scholars -- and with good reason. Jesus speaks of the world upended, of a cosmos transformed. This is most surely NOT the stuff of our secular Holiday Season, when we are encouraged to believe our biggest concern is which box store we should visit at 4 am for an extra 10% discount on that thing we really, desperately, achingly "need". No, Mark's Gospel points us to something bigger, something more unsettling -- and ultimately far more rewarding: God's new creation--right here, right now. Love incarnate is coming, but we need to be ready to accept it into our lives. Hence, the season of Advent, when we ready ourselves for the arrival of the Christ Child. What are you -- what am I -- waiting for? A bargain? Or a new way of living? Advent invites us to the latter. Let's accept the invitation!

Stop the Yuletide Madness!

"Felize Navidad," move over. Justin Bieber's singing "Little Drummer Boy." I kid you not. I don't make this stuff up. Really. Just four seconds of the hour's musical wunderkind singing "Little Drummer Boy" this morning made me desperately long for the morning of December 25 and the return to regular programming on the radio. Of course, this may be a sign from above, offering us yet another reason for us to reclaim Advent from the wider culture!

Who Would Jesus Waterboard?

For almost four weeks my muse has gone missing. Thanks to the GOP presidential contenders, she is back, full-throated. So, why the sudden chattiness? Well, chalk it up to the quesiton from a viewer to Herman Cain: do you support the use of torture. Mr. Cain replied "no." But then he added a "however" -- he's for the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," including waterboarding. So, too, were others on stage including Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. I single these three out, though, for a particular reason. Cain, Bachmann, and Perry have all made big stinks about their Christian faith. I didn't need to spend three years at HDS to find myself wondering how one squares fidelity to the teachings of Jesus with the approval of "enhanced interrogation techniques." Do any of these people honestly think Jesus would be okay with waterboarding? Do they really? If they do, I'd love to hear them offer an explanation because I jus