Going Up to the Mountain

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Isaiah promised that a day would come when all nations would go up to the mountain of the Lord, to Jerusalem and the great Temple of the Almighty God, and that this day would bring about ultimate justice, an end to warfare as peoples learned to walk in the ways of God and in the light of the Lord.

Abounding in Hope

Sunday, December 8, 2019

​“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Soulful Magnifiers

Sunday, December 15, 2019

In Latin, the word “Magnificat” begins the text we have heard this morning, and many wonderful pieces of music have been written for this text under this name.  Perhaps music is just naturally perfect for this role of magnifying God’s grace in the world.  

God is with Us

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The prophet Isaiah reports that God promised the birth of child to a virgin who would be called Immanuel, and who would choose the good over evil.  While many people today are skeptics when it comes to virgin birth, this was not a question in the early church, because they had discovered the Jesus of Nazareth was the Immanuel, God with us, and that he consistently had chosen the good over evil.

Joyful Power in Dreams

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Joseph is depicted as a man who dreams and responds to his dreams.   By attending to his dreams, Joseph follows the will of God to save not only a baby, but the whole promise of Immanuel, God with us, both Jew and Gentile.