It’s been a dark year, wouldn't you say, what some have called the year of fear - disease, wars, refugees, all too much ugliness, violence, and generally un-evolved humanity. Into that story of darkness and fear, the world as we often experience it, comes God-with-us: the Christmas story in all its wildness and weirdness (yes,… Continue reading Have yourself an untamed Christmas
Advent is a season for broken hearts. In stark contrast to the holly and jolly of the cultural calendar, the church year reminds us that a few toys or presents are crappy substitutes for the bigger ache in our lives. The Advent season is a time of hard longing for something more, something better than… Continue reading Homesick
Looks like there’s a new tradition to ring in the Christmas season. The newly popular custom is the traditional wringing of the hands over all the competing and corrupting agendas that have taken over Christmas. Certainly there are explanations for this reaction - the season and its story have been shaped by a variety of… Continue reading The remedy of Advent
'The Word became flesh,' wrote John, 'and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.' (John 1:14). That is what incarnation means. It is untheological. It is unsophisticated. It is undignified. But according to Christianity it is the way things are. All religions and philosophies which deny the reality or the significance of the material,… Continue reading Christmas: don’t be more spiritual than God
This is the irrational season, when love blooms bright and wild. Had Mary been filled with reason, there'd been no room for the child. Madeleine L'Engle Most of us have a favourite Christmas movie, one you haul out every Christmas holiday season. Sure, part of the reason for Christmas movie watching is to disarm tense… Continue reading Wonder
In our church during Advent we're entering into the lineage of Jesus, dwelling with the stories of the four women named in Matthew's genealogy. As a disciple of Jesus, this is my family tree, my spiritual DNA, these strong women my faith grandmothers. I love this genealogy, populated by wild and woolly risk-takers, most with… Continue reading Don’t mess with these grandmas
First Coming He did not wait till the world was ready, till men and nations were at peace. He came when the Heavens were unsteady, and prisoners cried out for release. He did not wait for the perfect time. He came when the need was deep and great. He dined with sinners in all… Continue reading Do not wait till the world is sane
"Father, I am weary of all that is wrong with the world - murder of the innocents, a smeared and wrecked creation, tyrant-oppressed poor, hunger-withered children, exploited women, forgotten elderly, invisible homeless. I long to see that all these enemies - yours and mine - will be, once for all, condemned, and all things crooked… Continue reading Sick of all that’s bent, bruised and broken
"The age of decay" - that's what a prophetic friend of mine calls the time we live in now, the harsh, mostly unwelcome recognition that entropy wins. What is will wilt and fail us - our bodies, this groaning creation, the ones we love, the treasured dreams we clutch in this world will all break… Continue reading Friday photos – “the age of decay”
A saint is one who exaggerates what the world neglects. G. K. Chesterton No, Virginia, that paunchy, red-suited, white-bearded stranger who breaks into people’s houses once a year is not real - he’s an imposter, a sham and serves as the front-man for the consumer empire we live in. But yes, Virginia, Saint Nicholas is… Continue reading A saint, a dude and an ordinary joe
Squinch 