Work and Children
Women work hard in Luke’s Christmas narrative. Both Elizabeth and Mary carry their babies and give birth to them. But birth is just the beginning of the work of raising children, work that belongs to both women and men. The Christmas story reminds us of how central this work is to our lives, not only with our own children, but also with the children in our neighborhoods, schools, and churches.
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Patris Æterni Verbum Caro Factum
May the Word of the Eternal Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, be made flesh for you this Christmas.
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From Salvation to Service
In Luke’s Christmas story, Zechariah celebrates the birth of his son by extolling God’s work of salvation. But salvation isn’t an end in and of itself. Rather, God saves people in order that they might serve God in holiness and righteousness. We respond to God’s gracious salvation by serving God, not just in our religious activities, but in every part of life, including our daily work. We have been saved to serve.
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Celebrating God’s Amazing Work
In the first chapter of Luke, Mary celebrates the amazing work of God, including her own experience of God’s miraculous power. Her example encourages us to recognize and celebrate God the worker.
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Sometimes God Interrupts Our Work
Scripture teaches us to value our work because it matters to God. In fact, we can truly worship God through offering our daily work to God. But sometimes God interrupts our work. That happened to a priest named Zechariah. While he was engaging in his priestly duty in the temple, an angel from God interrupted him with incredible news. His story encourages us to be open to ways God might interrupt us as we work.
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What Does Christmas Have to Do with Work?
For many of us – but not all of us – Christmas is a time to get a break from work. Yet there is much in the biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus that makes connections between work and Christmas. For example, were it not for Luke’s hard work, we wouldn’t have the beloved Christmas story found in the Gospel that bears Luke’s name.
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Advent: Honest Invitation
If you lean into the song-text and take a closer look at this child, cousin of Jesus, his calling in life extends a gentle invitation in our own waiting. The grace that Elizabeth’s womb is nourishing is one that will “give knowledge of salvation…give light…in the darkness…and guide our feet into the way of peace.” John’s calling is to give and to guide. Our invitation is to receive and to be led into peace.
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Advent Gives Way to More Advent (Part 2)
Jesus has arrived but this Advent would lead to another Advent. Simeon is unique to us in the sense that we will never know what it’s like to hold the Creator in our arms. But we are the same in that we all wait for the nations and Israel to be one corporate body and behold his glory. Until he arrives with that kind of presence, we wait.
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Advent Gives Way to More Advent (Part 1)
Even when discord and disillusionment abound, there can and will be consolation. Simon was right where he was supposed to be, and he teaches us today two lessons that anxious hearts tend to forget: Advent is about learning to wait well in the silence between promise and realization. And that Advent gives way to more Advent.
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The Beginning is Near
Jesus came once, and he is coming again. In the midst of the darkness our Lord offers us hope. Not escape, but hope. The beginning is near.
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Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord
This story challenges me in a number of ways, but one of them is this: look for Jesus where you least expect to find him.
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Poor Man Lazarus
You cannot serve God and money. You can, however, serve God and other people—sometimes with money, sometimes without. But don’t be too quick to assume that it’s without.
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The Janitor
Whether we got lost by ourselves or whether the systems of society lost us does not matter to the Lord. What he’s interested in is finding us, saving us, and rejoicing with us.
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Compel Them to Come In
Confusing and yet overpowering images and implications come out of these parables. All are welcome. Turning down Jesus’s invitation has serious consequences.
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Have No Fear, Little Flock
If we do not put the kingdom first, then we run the risk of being hypocrites who do things behind closed doors we would not want spoken of openly..
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