The Advent lectionary and my little Advent series here collided randomly this Sunday in the most satisfying way. Yesterday’s scriptures, “He shall feed his flock” was featured for the Old Testament and then were repeated by Christ to John the Baptist…
They were too much, for whatever reason. They were the lambs the ewe kicked away from her warmth, milk, care. These are the bummer lambs in the shepherding tradition, shunned from mom’s circle of care, orphaned. She pushes them away,…
Isaiah 35:5&6 “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped”. “Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing …“ This short recitative…
Can we talk about how effortlessly rich Kathleen Battle’s voice is? Hands down my favorite soprano of all time. “The peace of the Lord be with you.” We greet, shake hands, smile into the eyes of strangers and mumble…
“Fear not,” He says, but it is too late. I am already face down, fingers grasping stones, fingernails scraping dust. I grasp at the familiar. The glory burns and my knees come in tight. I fold up small hoping to hide. …
Luke 2:8&9 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about…
Isaiah 9:2, 6 “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined! For unto us a child is born, unto us…
Isaiah 7:14 “… Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name lmmanuel: God with us” Life leapt. God kicked and what at first she had held tight within faith’s fist, now bounced, small mass of cells…
In our “lectionary” from Handel’s Messiah, we have come to the fearsome Malachi 3:2-3. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and…
Haggai 2:6-7 For thus saith the Lord of hosts: once more (in a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of…