At a time when God seems absent or angry, the prophet pauses for praise. This affirmation of God’s goodness is embedded in a long passage that details God’s grievances with the...

Why do the scriptures on the other side of Christmas call attention to suffering? This is supposed to be a season of celebration, isn’t it? Christmas should be the happiest time...

In her song “Blessings,” Laura Story asks, “What if your healing comes through tears?”* It is a question for the Rachels in our midst. Rachel wept for the lost children of...

Christmas was just yesterday; we haven’t even cleaned up the discarded wrapping paper and ribbon or started eating the leftovers. After weeks of preparation and yesterday's celebration, today seems a good...

Here is the Gospel text that illuminates this week’s calendar readings. In verses four and five it concentrates our salvation story into a single sentence that burns like the tungsten filament...

What kind of sign is this? A celestial encounter between angels and shepherds leads to a baby wrapped in a simple cloth. Luke leaves all kinds of clues lying in plain...

For me, Christmas day is filled with the sound of feet. Little feet, eager feet, can’t-sleep-anymore feet dance down the hall searching for a tree or happy things in boxes. These...

The sea is roaring the bass line; the descant of the morning stars soars above the melody line of the mountains. The trees are dancing, roots and all, as they reach...

God’s grace has appeared, offering salvation to all. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age as we await...

It’s almost impossible to read these words in the King James translation and not hear Handel. His oratorio turns this text back to its original form, a song. Isaiah reassures those...