Month: December 2022

When I was pastoring, at the end of the old year, God always gave me a Bible verse — or a thought that lined up with Scripture — that I could use to base my preaching on for the coming year. I would write out the verse or thought and … Read more

For the new year, people typically make resolutions focusing on changes and plans that they want to implement in their lives. I'd like to adopt the expression carpe diem, Latin for "seize the day" or "make the most of the present time". … Read more

In a three-day conference on pastoral care of the elderly, Pope Francis talked about the gift that older women and … Read more

Weeks ago, I stripped the house of all that was not Christmas. Then as these things disappeared, I replaced them with Christmas! I cleared my china cabinet of dishes that were not Christmas; my curio cabinet became a place for snowmen. … Read more

All the costumes and props for the Sunday School Christmas play had been tidied up and put away. All except one, I thought. A wrapped gift lay in my drawer. I was in charge of the Sunday School, so I kept stuff in the old desk. *I wonder … Read more

Another Christmas has come and gone. The children were enthralled with the tree and the piles of brightly wrapped gifts beneath it. They couldn't wait to start handing out presents and then to rip into their own as well as to help the … Read more

For most of us, the day of our birth is the most significant day of our entire lives. Though we have no cognitive awareness or recollection of this momentous occasion, it is the day when we made our appearance on planet earth. At that … Read more

I will never forget the Christmas Eve service that I attended on December 24th, 1989. That year, it was decided that a significant portrayal of the Christmas story would be presented complete with wise men, shepherds, Joseph and Mary, and … Read more

We were halfway through our Christmas Eve carol and candle-lighting service when it happened. One of the burning Advent wreath candles ignited a spray of red silk poinsettias. Fortunately, a parishioner sitting in a front pew had the … Read more

Most of us know the Christmas story at least in part, if for no other reason that we see Mary, Joseph, and the Baby in a traditional place in many homes at this time of the year. Usually, not far from the manger scene are the wise men — … Read more