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December 2007 |
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| December 2, 2007 - 1st Advent - "HOPE" - Matthew 24.36-44 - Rev. Jonathan E. Carroll, Th.M. - "The preacher reaches with a very human hand to grab hold of the hem
of his robes as he lifts one leg and then the other in his ascent to
the pulpit. With one finger he secures his glasses over his nose, makes
straight his notes, and quietly, as if in prayer, he inhales, his lips
beginning to form the Word. Or..." |
| December 9, 2007 - 2nd Advent - "Peace" - Matthew 3.1-12 - Rev. Jonathan E. Carroll, Th.M. - First Presbyterian Church, Owensboro, KY - "In a conversation about slavery this past week, I recalled learning
that when the slaves sang “Steal Away,” they had in mind getting to
Jesus, to the warm, embracing love of his care and his nurture – his
acceptance. But, like all oppressed peoples, the slaves knew that
religious talk – even in song! – is always inescapably public,
political talk. Such will not do when it is your life on the line." |
December 16, 2007 - 3rd Advent - "LOVE" - Luke 1.46b-55 - Rev. Jonathan E. Carroll, Th.M. "That Luke fashioned or preserved traditions regarding Mary must, in my
judgment, have been inspired by God, considering how infrequently Mary
otherwise appears in the New Testament outside of the Gospel of John.
Mark, of course, skips the birth of Jesus altogether, and Mark’s Jesus
seems indifferent to his mother when she shows up with his brothers
(Ch. 3). As for Matthew, his Mary is silent. Not a word leaves her
lips. She is present, but silent as that night about which we so
contemplatively sing. For his part, Paul thinks it worth remarking that
God’s Son was "born of a woman," but he never bothers to mention her
name. But Luke – always the attentive gospeler – remembers her name,
and his Mary does not keep silence in our churches – at least, not in
this year’s Advent lection. Luke’s Mary, a woman, has something, and
someone, to sing about. And she does so robustly."
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| December 23, 2007 - 4th Advent - "JOY" - Matthew 1.18-25 - Rev. Jonathan E. Carroll, Th.M. - First Presbyterian Church, Owensboro, KY - "Each of the Gospel writers begins the Gospel story in a different way, and Matthew does it with this remarkable story of the birth of the baby that is on the lips of an angel in a dream to Joseph. Before that, the part that I didn't read in Matthew 1, is a long genealogy of 38 begats about grandfather to father to son to son to son, all the way back to Father Abraham. The genealogy goes up till Joseph, except that Matthew plays a trick on us, because he traces this royal pedigree, but then at the last minute, in a trick, he tells us that Joseph is not really the father of this new baby, the one we celebrate at Christmas. There are some important things to notice about this narrative of the beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew." |
| December 24, 2007 - Christmas Eve - "Zealous, Zealous Lord" - Isa. 9.2, 6-7 - Luke 2 - Rev. Jonathan E. Carroll, Th.M. - "Tonight the wait is over. Tonight, all of the preparations have been made, or at this point, have been abandoned, and we are here to settle into a mystery, to gaze into a night sky and to follow that strange and inexplicable light and to join the crowd of believers and skeptics and disinterested ones alike, all of whom are gathering around a feeding trough whether they know it or not. Because tonight is the night when even the cynics among us take a sabbatical from their doubts—we all suspend our disbelief, believing again, if only for now, that God is born among us and that anything is possible. Tonight is the night where, with all of our singing, and praying, and hoping—we celebrate Emmanuel—which means God with us—and we claim him as Lord of our lives. Tonight is the night. And everything is in place." |
| December 30, 2007, Rule. 1st Christmas, Matthew 2:13-23 - Rev.
Wesley Kendall - "About four years ago, Anna and I saw It's a Wonderful Life
for the first time, and every year since we have tried to watch it at
least once before Christmas. Thankfully, it is on NBC on
Christmas Eve, ..." |
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