Part of celebrating Advent is remembering that first Christmas and all the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth. In the piece below, I try to imagine what this time was like for Joseph.
An Imagining based on Matthew 1:18-25
I admit I was angry when Mary went off to visit her elderly relative Elizabeth…..
God has an interesting way of speaking to us through what appear to be coincidences.
This past week in the class I teach at church we came to Acts 15 where the original “first” Church in Jerusalem met to discuss the prospect of incorporating non-Jews into the ranks of the followers…..
This story reminds us that when God asks us to do something hard, the Lord will supply us with the assurance we need to accomplish it (Judges 6-7).
He looked like an ordinary man, but it struck me strange that I’d never seen him before. Neither had I seen him arrive;…..
In the next two weeks I turn to the Old Testament where examples of people asking for God’s help abound.
In this imaging of Ruth 1, I focus on Ruth’s boldness. Naomi thought having sons would bring her happiness. See what God had in mind instead.
By my…..
An imagining based on Luke 7:1-10
I’ve known Quintus for several years now, ever since he replaced the centurion originally stationed here in Capernaum. Though called in an official capacity to monitor the construction of our synagogue, he had struck up conversations with some of the other elders and me, impressing us with…..
In last week’s post I talked about how Jesus tended to heal people who actually asked for help. In the coming weeks I’d like to imagine the circumstances behind some of those New Testament narratives. I begin with my imagining of the story told in Mark 5:21-34.
Once upon…..