Tag: Advent
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Restoration Amidst the Ruins
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 I am fascinated by ruins. I think it started where I grew up. I grew up in a small town that used to be a fairly sizeable community, but as the nearby city continued to grow and expand, and as more people started working there, the community began to decline, as well.…
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A Wonky Advent Wreath
We recently took our Advent/Christmas decorations down from the attic. The tree went up, we fought with the lights (as we always do), our two-year-old almost destroyed the ornaments, and we began the annual adventure of rediscovering what we actually have in the Advent/Christmas bins. One thing I knew that we had, however, was our…
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The Deception of Carols
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright… *** O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by… *** Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in…
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Hurry as an Enemy of Faith
I’m back! It has been a busy week, pastorally speaking. We had a sudden death in our congregation and the pastoral tasks that go along with something of the like are great. My days (and nights) have been so consumed with work that I have not been able to even think about my blog which…
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Advent in Tension
Many of my parishioners walk to church, as most of my congregation does not own a car for financial reasons. One of these was walking the two blocks from her home to church. In that short distance she was struck by a car and died as a result of the impact. All of this while…
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A Fresh Start
The lure of a fresh start is ubiquitous. The idea that we are not tied to our past, that we are not destined to repeat the mistakes we had made, the idea that change and redemption is possible, and if only we could make a fresh start without our past following us, we could live…
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Why I’m Avoiding Christmas Music During Advent
This is the time of year when people begin talking about getting into the “Christmas Spirit”. I must confess, I’m not in the Christmas spirit, but I think that it is okay, because now is not the time to be in the Christmas spirit, this is the time to be in the Advent spirit. In…
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Advent in a Wintry Eschatological Perspective
As a child, my family did not fully celebrate Advent. We lit Advent candles at church, but we still put up Christmas decorations and sung Christmas songs during Advent (which is not exactly proper observance). As an adult, I have begun celebrating Advent, and I have found it to be very meaningful. Advent is a…
Matthew van Maastricht 