In his beloved hymn, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, the 19th century pastor and hymnwriter Edmund Sears wrote that the angels sang “o’er the Babel sounds.” That short phrase strikes me as a hopeful note within the tumult of current news events and trends. (Wars, loudly ranting politicians, relentless climate change and AI’s rampaging all come to mind.) What Sears recalled was an angelic lateMORE...
Magnificat revisited
Earlier in life, I took heart from the Magnificat’s message (Luke 2:46-55). Perhaps God could use me to feed hungry people, cast down the mighty from their seats, show mercy to those who were poor and put humble people in places of power! That felt like a righteous, even prophetic ministry. I also missed something along the way. I had overlooked another side of Mary’s borrowed and revised songMORE...
Greetings from the heavenly host
My preference for celebrating the Birth of Jesus is to seek quiet moments to contemplate the mystery of God’s redeeming love for me. To remember all the beautiful Christmas carols and hymns that echo that kind of feeling. Noise bothers me—life is filled with too much of it—so Christmas can offer a respite from that irksome aspect of life today. But then I remember how, in the middle of shepherds’MORE...
Hopeful musings
Advent weather in the Northern hemisphere—darkness, cold, mixed precipitation, etc .—invites me into cozy caves of theological thought that I trust will eventually emerge as something useful. Today, two musings scrawled on the walls of this temporary hiding place: Hope and creativity, and End Times hope…. Chris and I are part of a congregation where creativity— demonstrated by pastors, staffMORE...
Waiting to be known
I sometimes wonder how folks going about their daily routines might be waiting for the moment(s) when they could be known for who they really are. What thrives under their workplace exteriors. What they’re good at doing. What benefits they bring to the rest of us. How they live out their best selves. (An Advent theme, perhaps?) In that frame of mind, it isn’t too hard to imagine and valueMORE...
Finding hope in TV commercials
In our family, the sound gets turned off during TV commercials. It recently occurred to me that these soundless visual stories are doing more than selling products. Many of them may depict lived-out hope! I see a lot of ads related to health, automobiles, medical conditions, insurance and legal help. I witness pleas from charities and other non-profits, teasers for coming shows and a smatteringMORE...
A season for waiting
In its original manifestation—4th century CE—Advent was the time for converts to Christianity to prepare themselves for their baptisms at Epiphany. That ancient practice might be helpful as we try to wrestle with the current state of the world, and our place in it. Some personal thoughts…. Back in my halcyon days, waiting could feel like a waste—”So much to do and so little time.” IMORE...
Numbering our days
(As this year’s calendar winds down, I hearken back to Psalm 90 , a lifelong favorite. One of its thoughts has stayed with me all my life: “So teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom.” [KJV} Today some thoughts about day-numbering.) As I’ve grown older, I’ve often found myself “numbering my days.” For me, that means taking stock of how time is passing, perhapsMORE...
An elderly nudge
In times of high anxiety—right now?—two of our core capabilities may be at risk: Agency and motivation. (“Agency” identifies our power to affect change, in ourselves or others. “Motivation” is an inner trait that positively alters our willingness to act.) Why might this diminishing of capabilities be happening? The isolating fear of disease, danger or death during COVID19 may have taken away ourMORE...
Clustered prayers
Lately, my times of prayer seem to be interwoven with memories of time-and-place experiences in life. These reveries include entire clusters of beloved people. (For example, when I remember our San Leandro, California years, my mind gathers together Rich and Gretchen, Liz and Larry, Mary and Jim, Barry, Ralph, Sandy, Linda, Wendy, Aunt Mona, Chris and our kids, and my 3rd-4th graders—and theMORE...