I have been reflecting on the Gospel Readings from the Daily Office, Year One Readings, as posted at www.missionstclare.com
Today’s Gospel Reading is Luke 1:39-48 and the verse that stood out to me is this:
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the…..
The full passage is Matthew 3:1-12.
It seems we sometimes prefer to think that some of us are wheat and some of us are chaff. But if we are honest, we all have a little chaff on our souls.
When John was talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees he mentions ‘the wrath to come.’ Typically when we think of wrath, we think of a severe, out of control anger. If this wrath to come is from God, we should…..
New things, most of us love receiving and giving new things. During the Christmas and Holiday Seasons we are surrounded by new things every where we turn. New dolls and sleds, new toys and gadgets, new clothes, new books, new cars, new houses, new relationships (engagements, weddings).
If you’ve been a Christian for your entire life or most of it, the Christmas services may have lost some deeper sense of newness. Oh, the pageant might have new players, but…..
The full reading for today is Luke 22:1-13. In the reading we read about the difference in how people were referring to Jesus. It’s common for us to talk about the negative feelings and thoughts the scribes and Pharisees were having towards Jesus, or how one of Jesus’ disciples was planning to betray him. But this year it seems important to note that Jesus gave instruction to his disciples as to who and what to look for. They listened to…..
This morning, while reflecting on the daily reading of my choice I was lead to a passage in James Chapter 2. James, a brother of Jesus is writing ‘To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:’ This is part of what he writes:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it ways. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face…..
I’ve been thinking about all the seeking that goes on in the Christmas narratives. It’s really rather amazing when you take time to ponder it.
God sending angelic messengers is literally God seeking us and calling us to himself. People doing what the angelic messengers tell them to is literally God directing traffic – go…..
I’ve been thinking about how Christmas comes upon us making things new year after year throughout generations. Whether it’s celebrated with Santa Claus or Jesus or both. I grew up with both influences. Santa made sure nobody went without a gift – every boy and girl all around the world would receive a gift – a nice one – or coal. The whole naughty or nice thing really puts pressure on kids to behave and control themselves as parents feel…..
I’ve been thinking about all the things happening in this world and the arguments for and against religion and people blaming war on religion and how others blame war on politics and I wonder why we don’t blame war on people? Yes – to me it makes so much more sense to blame war on people than on institutions. We blame human actions on institutions because it’s hard…..
We are nearing the season of Advent, the time of preparing for Christmas. There is a verse in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that tells us what God was doing ‘in Christ.’ Today, I want to suggest that we ask ourselves what everyone was doing when the Christ Child was born. What was everyone else doing when the angels appeared to Mary and Joseph? What…..
In Colossians 3:16-17 The Apostle Paul encourages people to “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” with hearts that are filled with gratitude . . . “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
If you look to the Book of Psalms in the…..
