On the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary gives us Luke 1:26-38. It is the story of “the Annunciation,” nine months before Christmas. But we are in December, chronologically only a week-and-a-half before Mary will give birth. It’s all good. Advent is an excellent time to think about the promise […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year A, Advent 3, Matthew 11:2-11
The word “advent” means “arrival.” It is a season for waiting. Throughout the four weeks we are waiting in different ways for Jesus, whose first arrival is celebrated at Christmas. While we wait, we have questions. So does our text. On Advent 1 the lectionary Gospel had us in the present, waiting for Christ’s 2nd […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year C, Advent 3, Luke 3:7-18
On the third Sunday of Advent in Year C, the lectionary continues Luke’s telling of the story of John the Baptist’s ministry. That’s right: a month into the period where every store and many a radio station plays nothing but Christmas carols, the Church steadfastly resists. No baby in Bethlehem just yet. We wait, on […]
Advent 3–Reading Isaiah (cont.)
Reading through Isaiah in Advent provides some breathtaking moments. Yes, there is also some thick slogging: any number of passages are filled with ancient history and unfamiliar names. But scattered throughout the book’s 66 chapters are some of the most beautiful, inspiring, hope-filled moments in all of Scripture. Some of them are familiar as can be. Handel’s […]