Advent

Christmas means that everything is all right. As far back as 70,000 years ago, men and women were looking to the sky and wondering: Are we ok? Are we acceptable in the sight of God? Almost universally, they thought not.  And so began the endless sacrifices meant to appease whatever God was up there. The […]

For God so loved the world, he told us a story. Every Christmas Eve, my family would gather around the tree and my father would read Luke chapter two, King James Bible. I can still recite the first verse. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar […]

My first Christmas out of seminary was in 1989 at Saint Luke’s Parish, Darien, Connecticut, and another priest on staff, Doug Ray, told me a story. Doug was standing in the narthex on a cold Christmas Eve and two good-looking young couples came to the door. Since the church was full and every folding chair […]

There are not many memorable table blessings in Hollywood movies, but the funniest of all is from Talladega Nights. Will Ferrell’s race-car-driving Ricky Bobby always begins his prayers with, “Dear Lord baby Jesus, tiny infant Jesus.” Finally one night his wife interrupts his earnest invocation with, “You know, Jesus did grow up. You don’t have […]

Pam and I have spent the past five days with our grandchildren. At seven and three, they can wear you out with their requests. They wake up wanting. They wish fervently for things and dream of happiness in the ultimate. “Papa,” my grandson will say, “if you could have any plane in the world [he’s […]

Every Christmas pageant features the Innkeeper. He is the one who, when Joseph and Mary come knocking, opens the door a crack and cries, “No room!” In fact, there never was an “inn” at Bethlehem. All the archaeological evidence suggests that Bethlehem was a one-stoplight town, not nearly large enough to have a Motel 6. […]

Carolyn Myss, the medical intuitive who writes and lectures about why people don’t heal, flew to Russia a few years ago to give some lectures. Everything that could go wrong did—flights were canceled or overbooked, connections missed, her reserved room at the hotel given to someone else. She kept trying to be a good sport, but […]

Mary had one Annunciation. Joseph had two because, well—in the spiritual realm, men need two shots. His first annunciation did not come via angel. It was his fiancé announcing a big problem. God had told her all about it, directly, and he had to hear it through her. His job, it seems, is to go […]