by David Anderson
Luke 2: 1-7 “And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.” It was December 22, 2000. I was sitting at my desk proofing a service bulletin when a call came in. The receptionist said someone wanted to talk to “the pastor.” That usually meant: someone wants money. This bulletin was past deadline, […]
by David Anderson 10 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Awe, Discernment, Epiphany, Listening, Mystery, Seeing
Revelation 22:16 “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star.” I’m an early riser, and in late fall that means I’m up just before the sun. Near September’s end I began to notice a star low on the eastern horizon. Or was it a star? Its light was lambent and clear, […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Awe, Guidance, LIght, Mystery, Nature/Creation
Luke 2:15-20 “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,which the Lord has made known to us.” I have a friend, now gone, who used to send a Christmas card every year that ended with, “I hope you make it to Bethlehem this year.” I always heard in those words […]
by David Anderson 11 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Advent, Awareness, Patience, Reality--trusting it, Salvation, Surrender, Transformation
Luke 1:57-80 “The morning sun from heaven will rise upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” When John the Baptist is born, his father Zechariah bursts into a song of praise. John will merely pave the […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Discernment, LIght, Seeing
Exodus 3: 1-12 “And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside and seethis great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” The story of the Burning Bush begins with a murder. The only reason Moses is out here in the wilderness is because, in his zeal and anger, he killed an Egyptian slave master who was […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Awe, Death/Dying, Discernment, Faith/Trust, Mystery, Now/ the Present, Salvation, Silence, Surrender, Transformation
Luke 1: 39-45 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to acity of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. In Luke’s telling, the first thing Mary does after Gabriel’s stunning announcement, is to pack a bag and head for her older cousin’s home. Elizabeth […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Belief, Choice, Discernment, Faith/Trust, Surrender
Isaiah 61:3-11 “to give them a garland instead of ashes” The wreaths in our homes at Advent and Christmas are often only decorative—pretty. But there’s an ancient Nordic and Celtic tradition of making wreaths from wagon wheels. When the sun disappeared in winter, these sun-worshipping people had a beautiful way of wooing it, beckoning back […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Change, LIght, Nature/Creation
Isaiah 7:10-14 “A woman is with child, and will bear a son,and will call him Emmanuel.” This is where we begin our Advent pilgrimage. A crib. The nativity scene is all there, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and their sheep—except for the Child. The manger is empty. Let it stay that way, unfilled, for now. […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Happiness, Healing, Hope, Prayer/Meditation, Transformation