Read: Luke 1:68-79; Malachi 3:13-18; Philippians 1:18b-26 Our Advent candle wreath that we use at church has five candles, three are purple, one is pink and the large one in the center is white. Purple has traditionally been the central color of Advent. This color signifies repentance and fasting. The Christian custom of withholding fromContinue reading “Peace->Gratitude->Joy”
Tag Archives: christmas
The Return of the King
Read: Psalm 90; Isaiah 1:24-31; Luke 11:29-32 To the small band of shepherds living out in the fields around Bethlehem and watching over their sheep, the sudden appearance of an angel of the Lord proclaiming the birth of Jesus must have been a life-changing experience. Luke tells us that as the glory of the LordContinue reading “The Return of the King”
How the Grinch Stole Advent
Read: Psalm 90; Numbers 17:1-11; 2 Peter 3:1-18 In Theodor Geisel’s (better known as Dr. Seuss) kid’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, the title character is a miserable creature who lives alone in a cave high atop a mountain above Who-ville. The Whos love Christmas, but the Grinch, he does not. “Why may thisContinue reading “How the Grinch Stole Advent”
Waiting for Godot and the Hope of Advent
Read Psalm 25; Nehemiah 9:6-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Samuel Beckett’s 1953 play “Waiting for Godot” is a tragicomedy in two acts. In the play two acquaintances, Vladimir and Estragon, wait on the road under the branches of a leafless tree. As they wait, the two men have an inane conversation that seems to lack anyContinue reading “Waiting for Godot and the Hope of Advent”
Advent 2024
Anticipation Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, and my kids can already smell Christmas in the air. They are beginning to eagerly anticipate things like getting a Christmas tree, putting up the lights, presents, snow and everything else commonly associated with the Holiday. From a purely commercial standpoint, the anticipation for the Christmas season has already beenContinue reading “Advent 2024”
Reformed in Tualatin 