Advent (Day 10)
Living in a one-hundred-year-old apartment in the city, we took our baths in a narrow, enameled tub. Back then, I found the idea of a jetted, whirlpool bathtub very appealing. I live in suburbia now, and I have just such a tub. Alas, the reality is less exciting than the fantasy. I think I tried using the jets once. As it turns out, I don’t...
Advent (Day 9)
I recall that the One to whom we cry is no longer an infant, and this feels both wonderful and terrifying. We begin to see him as he now is in dreams and poetry, for only metaphor can give us a glimpse of the truth: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire ... his voice was like the sound...
Advent (Day 8)
A prayer for this second Sunday of Advent: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now...
Advent (Day 7)
O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel....
Advent (Day 6)
I live in the “Sunshine State.” This is no mere tourist slogan, I assure you. This is the truth. And, after ten years in Chicago, I was utterly unprepared for it. Do you know what it is to long for darkness? Recently, our skies were heavy and dark for four days. This is unheard of here. Oh, we get plenty of rain: towering, fierce clouds and...
Advent (Day 5)
Perhaps the most difficult thing about darkness is that it tells us we are alone. Darkness, it lies. Long ago, the church began celebrating its new year during winter’s darkest days. This seems right and good, to me. It’s in times of darkness that we most need to be reminded that we do not wait alone. Whether or not we’re able to attend church...