Text: Mark 1:1-13 (the baptism of Jesus) * Video of complete service * Order of service “Here begins the Good News of Jesus Christ.” So writes Mark as he starts his narrative of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. This is not the first sentence in the New Testament, but it should be. When the Roman Empire made … [Read more…]
Text: Matthew 2 (the visit of the Magi; the flight to Egypt) * Video of complete service * Order of service (opens PDF) What was revealed on Epiphany in Washington DC this past Wednesday? On January 6, a day in which the church celebrates the story of a journey by magi to Bethlehem, a mob of white supremacists stormed … [Read more…]
Text: John 1:1-18 (“In the beginning”) * Video of complete service * Order of service How are we supposed to feel after Christmas? During the season, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and rejoice in the rebirth of love within our hearts. But what if Christmas didn’t really pan out for us this year? On … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 2:21-40 (Jesus presented at the Temple) Video of entire service * Order of service (opens a PDF file) This week, as the calendar changes from December 2020 to January 2021, how will we name the year that is passing? Many have already named it the year of the pandemic, although it did not … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 2:1-20 (the birth of Jesus) Video of the complete service * Order of service On April 12, I titled my Easter Sunday reflection “Silent spring.” This referred to the gospel stories about Easter, to the private nature of the rebirth of love within our hearts, and to the eerie quiet in Edmonton during … [Read more…]
Texts: “Our deepest fear” by Marianne Williamson * Luke 1:46-56 (Mary’s song) Video of complete service “Christmas comes but once a year,” or so goes an old saying that encourages us to celebrate it with abandon. But when I was a child, I came to the happy realization there was more than one Christmas each … [Read more…]
Texts: from “Lifesigns” by Henri Nouwen * Luke 1:26-45 (the birth of Jesus foretold) Video of complete service When I dream about Christmas, I find it easier to imagine feeling joy next year – Christmas 2021 — than this year; probably because many of us hope and expect that by next fall, the COVID-19 pandemic … [Read more…]
Texts: “Peacemaking and the spiritual life” by John Dear * Luke 1:18-25 (“waiting in silence”) Video of complete service Advent feels more important this year than usual because getting ready for Christmas during the pandemic requires extra thought and care. When the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, some hoped it would … [Read more…]
Texts: poem inspired by Mark 13:24-25 by Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes * Luke 1:5-17 (the birth of John the Baptist foretold) Video of complete service What does Hope look like this Advent? Perhaps you’re like me, and a lot of your hopes this year focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Many find hope in news about vaccines … [Read more…]
Text: Matthew 25:35-45 (“when did we serve you, Lord?”) Video of complete service A few years ago when my dentist was installing a dental crown, I asked her if dentists thought of the hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns” as kind of a national anthem. Unfortunately, she didn’t get my joke. In this ever-more secular … [Read more…]