Sunday’s post, the first in this series looking at the themes of Advent through the lens of the Book of Isaiah, saw how, after Isaiah opens with an oracle of incredible destruction for Judah, this is followed at the start of chapter 2 with a beautiful image of a time when not only would the … Continue reading All Is Not Lost: An Advent Reflection on the Remnant in Isaiah 1-12
The other week, I reflected on the Gospel reading in which Jesus expounds on what seems like a foretelling of a frightening future, but is really more a description of the human condition: Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and … Continue reading Hope of the Nations: An Advent Reflection on Isaiah 2.1-5
When tasked with explaining how the Church year functions, I often use the metaphor of light. At Christmas, light comes into the world, light which shines brightly outward through the season of Epiphany, before we turn it inwards in Lent, after which point we are empowered to be our own lights throughout Pentecost. In this … Continue reading Waiting for God
Today is the end of the Western liturgical calendar, a day known as the Sunday of “Christ the King” or “Reign of Christ.” It’s a metaphor that doesn’t strongly resonate for many of us these days. It’s been a long time since any of us have really experienced ‘kingship’ in any meaningful way. Today I’d … Continue reading On Kings, Kingdoms, and Kingship: A Reflection for the Sunday of the Reign of Christ 2022
If you were hoping to come to today’s Gospel reading for words of hope and encouragement, you’ll likely go away disappointed, and maybe a little disturbed. For in today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about destruction, warfare, natural disasters, famine, plagues, and political persecution, in apocalyptic terms — Not exactly a cheering message in our time of … Continue reading A Truth for Apocalyptic Times: A Reflection on Luke 21.5-19
