Matthew 13:44-46 This morning we enter into the season of Advent, four Sundays of preparation before Christmas. The word “advent” comes from Latin and means “coming” or “arrival” and refers to the coming of Jesus into the world. The idea of having a period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ originated…
I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 Life-changing events sneak up on us with no advance warning. In February 1989 our family visited my third cousins in East Berlin. In order to visit, we had to cross through the wall that separated East and West Berlin. We left a world of freedom and entered a world of repression. We…
I Thessalonians 4&5 I stopped on the auto route the last night of Ramadan to help a car that had broken down. I tried to help push the car to get it started but that did not help. I could have lifted the hood to look at the motor, but unless I noticed they were…
Luke 1 When you think of celebrations, what comes to mind? If you are old enough, you may remember the celebrations at the end of WWII. My father was in Leyte Gulf in the Philippines with the US Navy and he says he has never experienced a celebration as grand as that one. In November…
Luke 2 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Peace. Where is it? The angels appeared to shepherds in the vicinity of Bethlehem promising peace. With the…