“From the Christian point of view there is no special problem about Christmas in a prison cell. For many people in this building it will probably be a more sincere and genuine occasion than in places where nothing but the name is kept. That misery, suffering, poverty,...
Fyodor” Dostoevsky wrote in The Brothers Karamazov that beauty is “mysterious as well as terrible. God and the Devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man [humanity].” The preacher doesn’t just visit that “battlefield” and report periodically from...
I’ve been called a Grinch. It’s true. I have an unusual pet peeve . . . Christmas carols in church before Christmas. The reason I have been called a Grinch is that when worship leaders make me sing Christmas carols in November and early December, I get grumpy....
Stargazers Story Lectionary 27 December 2015 The Birth of the Christ Child God Creates the Stars to be Signs (Genesis 1) A Pillar of Cloud Leads the Israelites and Stands Over the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 13 and 33) The Prophecies of Balaam (Numbers 23 and 24): God’s...
Gracious, loving and merciful God, on this Christmas Eve, as the light of your Word penetrates our hearts, as we are reminded of the gift of life and faith, as the glories of the heavenly hosts are echoed in our church, we open ourselves up to your Spirit and give you...
