It was early morning. I lit the first candle and began to sing an ancient hymn: O Come, Emmanuel. The ritual is familiar to me. It’s something I do each year as the Christian period known as Advent begins. Advent: it’s a word derived from Latin. It means the arrival… Read More »We Are Meant to be Mothers of God
His name was Charles. I met him a few years ago shortly before Christmas. He had moved to Atlanta just a few months before that. That’s not the most accurate way to say that. Charles was relocated to Atlanta. He was a refugee. Having grown up in Cameroon, Charles was… Read More »This is Christmas
A friend stopped by the house yesterday. On the table, he saw rolls of Christmas wrapping paper. “Did you finish your Christmas shopping?” he asked. The truth is that I haven’t even started. I just bought the paper. Then he paused before saying, “I’m surprised you don’t have a tree… Read More »Preparing for Christmas
Earlier and earlier each year, Christmas decorations appear in stores. Halloween is not even past before the first Christmas items go on sale. Surprisingly, even with the commercialization of the Christmas holiday, the first sign of the coming Christmas season appears in early spring. Nine months before Christmas, the Christian… Read More »Mary’s Going to have a Baby!
It was quite unexpected. Her mother fell on a patch of ice the week before Thanksgiving. The broken hip was a concern, but following surgery, she was admitted to rehab. It seemed as though all was well. But then there were complications. She died about a week ago. The family… Read More »So, This Is Christmas …
Sir John Polkinghorne, the renowned particle physicist who, as a second career, became an Anglican priest, tells a story that’s very insightful. The members of his first parish weren’t sure if they would be able to understand sermons delivered by this very accomplished scientist. Dr. John Polkinghorne quickly changed that… Read More »The Truth about the Christmas Stories
As twilight falls, I sit in a favorite chair in my study. The glow of the candles casts shadows in the room from their placement near an icon in a corner. In the stillness, I begin to sing a familiar hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel….… Read More »The Coming of God-With-Us
As the New Year begins, and the Twelve Days of Christmas come to culmination on Epiphany, I thought I’d simply share a poem by Thomas Merton. In case this is not familiar to you, Epiphany ends the twelve days of Christmas and is traditionally observed among Christians on January 6. … Read More »Epiphany Carol