Reports indicate that the Senate will vote tomorrow (Wednesday, December 22, 2010) on the new START treaty that would reduce the number of nuclear weapons held by Russia and the United States. It would also reestablish on-site inspections to monitor…
Read more »Christmas Message 2010: The Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, Bishop ELCJHL. Bishop Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, reflects on what he calls the first two words of Christmas: “Fear not.” These were the…
Read more »Scripture – Luke 1:26–38 The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine, marks the birthplace of Jesus. Pilgrims shuffle through the Byzantine church to wait their turn to enter the cave where Jesus was born. At Christmas we assemble Nativity…
Read more »Scripture – Luke 1:5–25 When Luke undertook the task of writing “an orderly account” (v. 1) of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, he did not start with the birth of Jesus. Luke started the “Jesus story” with the…
Read more »Scripture – Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19 Do you ever feel like it is hard to get God’s attention? Or difficult to figure out where God is? It was hard for the people reflected in Psalm 80 as well. Here they are,…
Read more »Scripture – Isaiah 11:1–9 I love the imagery this Scripture contains. As I read this passage and reflected on the season and Guatemala, one particular phrase struck me: “a little child shall lead them.” For many in the world, it…
Read more »Scripture – Psalm 130 and Matthew 11:2–15 This time of year finds the air buzzing with a fabricated and often frustrated excitement. Do you enjoy or endure the holidays? Do you seek something that seems altogether missing from the list…
Read more »Scripture – Psalm 126 Reading Psalm 126 in the season of Advent helps us remember that life moves in cycles. There are seasons of happiness and seasons of sorrow, and throughout both of those times people cry out for God…
Read more »Scripture – Luke 3:7–14 I was nineteen years old when I first encountered the reality of modern warfare. I was standing on the deck of a troop ship as it entered the harbor of Le Havre, France. As we threaded…
Read more »Scripture – 2 Peter 1:12–21 The Advent season is a busy time. We often become so distracted by the bright lights, gifts, and festivities that we don’t stop to think about the real reason for the occasion—the birth of the…
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