Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 We have enjoyed another wonderful Children’s Christmas Pageant. It is a treat to see the children of the church in their costumes, speaking out their lines. Christmas Pageants are always a bit chaotic and we love the confusion, the timidity, the unexpected. It is a luxury for us to enjoy this Christmas…
Luke 2 (Luke 2:13–14) Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Peace. Where is it? The angels appeared to shepherds in the vicinity of Bethlehem promising peace….
Luke 1 & 2 The word “astonishment” has its roots in old French and Latin in the word “thunder”. So to be astonished is to be thunderstruck. It is something good that is completely unexpected. If someone living in your home country, a family member or friend, without telling you they were coming, walked in…
Luke 2:8-20 When I was a young pastor, Annie and I took one of the best vacations we have ever had. My parents had invited us to come with them to the British Virgin Islands. We left Newark, New Jersey in a snow storm, handed our winter coats to my sister who had driven us…
Isaiah 6 In our series of sermons from the Old Testament appearances of God to his people, we come to a well known passage, Isaiah 6. We think of this as the call of Isaiah to be a prophet to Judah, the southern kingdom of Solomon’s Israel. (Just as a reminder, after the death of…