The beauty of Christmas to me is the humanity it brings. I truly believe the reason we connect to Christmas so much is and the imagery of baby Jesus is the humanness portrayed in the story. There is nothing more human than a newborn baby. All of us started this way, all of us looked similar to this infant, and so there is something profoundly connective and unifying in the birth of Jesus. As Christians, we proclaim that Jesus is both fully human and fully God. In the Christmas story, Jesus’ humanity is laid bare for all to see. The infinite and powerful creator of everything seen and unseen lays wrapped in cloths in a woman’s arms. The humanity, vulnerability, and upside-downness of this mom

Love is to be shared. At the end of Advent, we find the story of Mary going to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Both are pregnant with children. As a parent, I connect with this story. It is a story of the big reveal. Mary is telling her family she is pregnant. It is a joyous day of love in any family when this happens. No matter if you have experienced a similar situation one can easily imagine the love and joy at this moment. Love, true love when it happens, when it is experienced is a thing to be shared. Juxtaposed to this moment is Mary’s song in praise of God. Some traditions call Mary’s song the Magnificat. It is a beautiful retelling of the hope of God’s people taken from some of the best

Joy is this weeks Advent theme. I find this typically the easiest for people to get. However, Joy doesn’t just come from when we are happy in the scriptures. The word of God also adds the layer of being joyful despite what may be happening. There is a joy that you experience because your God’s beloved. The Scripture reading associated this year with the third week in Advent start with John the Baptist calling the people, “A brood of vipers.” The text talks a lot about judgment and what is to come. People ask John how they can live their lives in response to God’s coming presence in the world. The scripture for Advent, (Luke 3:7-18) ends with John the Baptist describing who he is and who the

The second week of Advent is about Peace. Peace is an interesting word. It can mean not being in conflict. When the Bible talks about peace, it can also mean completeness or wholeness. Like a wall being incomplete so bricks are added, and now it is complete or whole. The reading associated this week is Luke chapter three where John the Baptist is being connected with the one preparing the way in the wilderness. The thing that stuck out for me this week in the reading was how the mountains are laid low and the valley’s filled. The image makes me think of the mountains bowing and the valleys rising. The idea makes me think of the mountains that have so much release what they're holding on to s

Despite the message we get from television and the department stores it is not the Christmas season. It is actually the beautiful season of Advent. The church calendar is a tool or a way in which for hundreds of years Christians have sought to center their lives on Jesus. Advent focuses our attention on Jesus’ first coming so that we anticipate his coming in glory. Each week of Advent celebrates a theme capturing the feelings of our anticipation for Jesus’ return. I believe this week fully encapsulates the Christian belief of hope. Hope is our cultural understanding is despite the numbers or odds we still believe in a good thing coming. Hope, in the Christian understanding, is not about the