Hope

Love and Dreams

Year A Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… Presbyterian minister T. Denise Anderson writes that in today’s passage from Isaiah…   God tells King Ahaz to ask for a sign…   Ahaz rules the southern kingdom of Judah…  which includes Jerusalem…  King Pekah of the northern kingdom...

Gardens Within Deserts

Year A Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… John the Baptist wears symbolic clothing and eats symbolic food…  both of which suggest people and processes in Israel’s past…  both of which explore the dynamics of repentance…  John’s clothing is reminiscent of Elijah’s…  in a story...

Spiritual Tremors

Year C Malachi 4:1-2a Psalm 98 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Third Edition)…  the word eschatology first appeared in English in the 19th century…  and it refers to the doctrine of last things…  that is…  the ultimate destiny of...

What Then Should We Do?

Year C Zephaniah 3:14-20 Canticle 9 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… Have you ever had the experience…  of learning about something…  of being confident that you were right… and acting on that knowledge…  of making decisions perhaps even critical decisions based on what you knew…  only to find...