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Posts Categorized: Advent
December 15, 2017
Second Week of Advent Silence the ‘G,’ embody the kin-dom Psalm 148:12–13 Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the LORD. A lot of Advent and Christmas hymns speak of Jesus or Christ as king. For example, “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah repeats the phrase “King of… Read more »
December 14, 2017
A joyous song A Revised Common Lectionary resource for December 17 by Magdalena I. García ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’ – Luke 1:46b-47 Read the full lectionary passage here Come, let us join God in lifting up the lowly, so that the world can sing and rejoice… Read more »
December 14, 2017
Second Week of Advent Break bread, create peace Psalm 147:14 [God] grants peace within your borders; [God] fills you with the finest of wheat. As I write, a four-country famine looms in Africa. According to UNICEF, “intractable war and brutal violence — along with climate change, drought and dire poverty — threaten children in Nigeria,… Read more »
December 13, 2017
Second Week of Advent Turn to God, bind wounds Psalm 147:3 [The Lord] heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Hospice care teams are interdisciplinary, consisting of a doctor, a nurse, a social worker and a chaplain. Other resources and therapies are also available, such as respiratory, massage, music and art. Given the number… Read more »
December 12, 2017
Second Week of Advent Hope in God, promote justice Psalm 146:5–7 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God … who executes justice for the oppressed. This Christmas some families will be split apart in the United States, the country that locks up more people,… Read more »
December 11, 2017
Second Week of Advent Imitate God, practice kindness Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Many of us know about the legend of St. Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop who lived in Myra, Asia Minor (now Turkey). He was a kind man who had a… Read more »
December 10, 2017
Second Week of Advent Praise God, give voice Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! Concerts are popular during Advent, especially the sing-along Messiah. They are a creative way to praise God and share the story of Christmas through instruments and voices. They allow everyone to contribute their unique sounds…. Read more »
December 9, 2017
First Week of Advent Master addition, skip division Psalm 90:12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. A nurse on my hospice team recently reported that a patient used racial slurs in her presence in reference to another colleague. The nurse was dismayed and tried to reason with… Read more »
December 8, 2017
The Christmas prayer tree A rural church reaches out in an unexpected way by Donna Frischknecht Jackson Silence fell upon the room. A woman at my table waved to the waitress to order another glass of wine. A good diversion on her part, I thought. Others around me glanced down at the meeting agenda,… Read more »
December 8, 2017
First Week of Advent Hear cries, understand groans Psalm 102:19-20 [The Lord] looked down from his holy height … to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die. My work as a hospice chaplain involves time at the bedside of dying patients. Near the transition between life and… Read more »