[Advent] The Love of Simeon
“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations.” (Luke 2:30-31) It’s that time of year when, inevitably, you’ll step into a department store and hear: “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away.” (My sincerest apologies if that gets stuck in your head.) If you love that song, I’m happy it’s adding to your Christmas joy. But it always makes me pause. It seems to be about love, given and betrayed and found anew. And after all, Christmas is all about love, right? Christmas is, in fact, the most beautiful love story.…
[Advent] The Joy of Anna
“Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 52:9) Let’s imagine a little today. You’re seven years old again. It’s a few days before Christmas, and a big box has appeared under the tree. And it’s just the right size to be that thing you’ve been wanting so badly. (What is it for young you – perhaps a bike? A game? A sled? Fancy shoes?) It feels like Christmas morning will never get here. Hours stretch by with hope and longing. But sure enough – 25 December, you race to the tree and rip off…
[Advent] The Peace of Elizabeth
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45) Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45 Pregnancy and childbirth are no walk in the park under normal circumstances for a woman in her young and vigorous “childbearing years.” But for Elizabeth, who was already a barren senior citizen with no children and had a newly mute husband to boot (see last week’s post about Zechariah), it would make sense for her gestation period to be anything but full of peace. And yet, that’s what she brought to Mary – another newly-pregnant-under-wildly-strange-circumstances woman. An angel had prophesied the birth of Elizabeth’s son in her…
[Advent] The Hope of Zechariah
“And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.’ (Luke 1:20) Mary. Joseph. Angels. Shepherds. And of course, Jesus in baby form. These figures stand out in our nativity scenes, setting the stage for the story of the Gospel, the birth of the Good News, and the very reason the organization I lead is on mission to help Christians get ready to speak. But, like the best literary stories, this historical one had profound characters waiting in the wings to emphasize its most powerful points. This year, our…
A Story to Tell | An Institute for Cultural Communicators Christmas Poem
A poem based on a true story from the Institute for Cultural Communicators. ‘Twas a month before Christmas, and all through the town The public school librarians were running around Calling all of the students they knew, for you see, Soon they’d host an event promoting literacy. As their calendar filled, so their hearts did – with cheer – At the thought of all of the stories they’d hear For the students had promised to read lots of books To all local families – no one overlooked! But alas, when that fateful day arrived, The students weren’t there – for as much as they strived The librarians could…
Joseph: Ready to Be Humbled [Advent]
In this Advent series, we’ve been looking at some characters in the Nativity who demonstrated they were ready to speak – something my organization is on mission to help instill in the next generation. We’ve looked at the shepherds, Simeon and Anna, and (of course) Mary. But today, I want to look at Joseph. Joseph is a bit of a surprise in the Nativity story. He doesn’t usually get much attention in Advent sermons or devotionals – at least not as much as the others clustered around the manger. In the first chapter of Matthew, we get a glimpse into Joseph’s character as he takes in the news…
Mary, mother of Jesus: Ready to Sacrifice [Advent]
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Wow. I would love to think I would respond to God like that whenever he asks anything of me. I know my heart posture isn’t always so quick to obey as Mary’s is in this retelling. And if the call was “miraculously conceive and give birth to a Messiah” – well, I honestly have no idea how I’d respond to that. Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s announcement that she would do just that demonstrates remarkable faith and readiness, despite the extraordinary nature of the news. She’s a powerful…
Simeon and Anna: Ready and Attuned [Advent]
During Advent reflections, I love when “side characters” like Simeon and Anna get a little attention. Though they don’t show up in nativity scenes, both elderly figures shared a deep faith and lifelong devotion to God. That devotion helped them be ready to speak when the Gospel Himself arrived. We meet both Simeon and Anna in chapter 2 of Luke, right on the heels of the shepherds’ story. Simeon is described here as “righteous and devout” and someone who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” He was sensitive to hearing from the Spirit of God, which is how he knew he would meet the Messiah before he died…
