This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Yesterday we considered Matthew’s idea of “repentance.” Today we delve into what is an appropriate response to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Yesterday we considered the use of this text during the Season of Advent. Today, we delve into Matthew’s idea of “repentance.” Continue reading
The high school youth minister at our parish publishes some great weekly reflections for the youth and their parents. I particularly liked the one published today. I read this reflection on the same day I read an article speaking with “Nones” – folks that are orthodox in Christian belief, but when asked what church they attend, their reply is none. There is a list of things absent in their experience of church – connecting Scripture and social justice, preaching that is relevant to their experience of life, several other items, but there in the list: “a friendly church.” It wasn’t “a welcoming church” but once the welcome was over, was the church friendly. In that context, I found Brandon Jubar’s words on point – what follows is from his post. Continue reading
A friend recently visited Disney World with her family. Back in the day the time before Thanksgiving and then after Thanksgiving used to be days when the crowds were relatively small – small, in a Disney World kind of way. I guess that is no longer true. My friend mentioned that the wait time in line for one of the attractions was well more than an hour. If you are interested in such things, here is a video about long lines at Disney World. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. In yesterday’s post we took a brief excursion to explore John’s understanding of himself. In this post we consider this Matthean text’s use in the Season of Advent. Continue reading
Humans aren’t the only animals known to move to a musical beat. For instance, parrots do it, too. And now rats have been observed bopping their heads in time with the music of Mozart, Lady Gaga, Queen and others, researchers report on November 11 in Science Advances. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Earlier today in the post, we considered the nature of the baptism that John offered. In this follow-on post we take a brief excursion to explore John’s understanding of himself. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. In yesterday’s post we addressed the question “Who is this wilderness preacher?” as well as exploring the relationship between Jesus and his cousin, John. In today’s post, we consider the nature of the baptism that John offered. Continue reading
The title might suggest a post on an impending asteroid strike on the Earth leading to a global extinction event. Most extinction events are but the last gasp of a species, one populous and now no longer found. Perhaps extinction events are less global and more continental, as in, there are no more here, but on that other continent there are survivors. Such events take more than a lifetime, most often, but not always. Continue reading
Source: Merriam Webster “Word of the Year 2022”
In this age of misinformation—of “fake news,” conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls,and deepfakes—gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time. A driver of disorientation and mistrust, gaslighting is “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.” 2022 saw a 1740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year. Continue reading
