In the place of a psalm, the lectionary for the third week of Advent substitutes an oracle from the opening chapters of Isaiah that resembles the form and function of thanksgiving...

In yesterday’s meditation on Zephaniah, we noted the change of verb tense in the oracle. Today we want to attend to a different shift in perspective. In the first five verses,...

Zephaniah’s oracles fill up only three chapters—our reading for today is the conclusion to the book. Most of the book focuses on judgment against Judah coming on “the day of the...

Luke carefully locates John the Baptist in time, moving down through the line of rulers from the most powerful to the lesser powers. The word of God comes zipping into the...

John’s call in the wilderness is the T-shirt, the Tweet, the slogan for Advent, all distilled into one word: Prepare. John knows that the presence of Jesus is a tectonic shift...

Some years ago, I found myself slipping into a long depressive time. Rationally, I had a wonderful life—a wise and witty husband, beautiful child, interesting work, kind friends. Still, the gloom...

Zechariah finally gets to speak! For months, he has been living in enforced silence, left to brood after he doubts the news that his wife, Elizabeth, is having a baby. In...

There’s always a vendetta, and sometimes a romance, on a silent retreat. So says spiritual teacher Daniel Thorson. And all the drama happens completely in people’s minds as they go through...

Some years ago on his birthday, writer Ross Gay challenged himself to find something delightful each day during the year. He eventually compiled his findings in The Book of Delights, sharing...

The jacket I wore to my mother’s funeral is still in my closet. I have never been able to bring myself to wear it again. Whenever I reach for it, the...