Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

 

With the calendar only providing us 3 full weeks of Advent, how have you been spending your time? What, perhaps have you been seeing…or feeling or doing differently? For Advent calls us to be conscious, awake, alert.  Advent calls us to be open to how Christ comes to us every day.  Advent calls for our participation by opening our eyes to our own brokenness and that of humanity.  For Christ is there…just waiting and wanting our active participation. This week’s Gospel provides us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do moving from this briefest 4^th week of Advent into Christmas and the New Year.  What are they? Check it out….

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of the day

Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

Over the past three weeks of Advent we have called to stay awake, to be alert, all the while listening and waiting and making straight our paths.  So, what has your Advent been like during these times of the pandemic?  Outside of marking the time by lighting the Advent candles each week, what, perhaps have you been seeing, feeling or doing differently this year?

Faced with all the challenges that have been brought upon us this past year, today’s Gospel gives us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do in our final days of Advent…and beyond.

Check it out…

Click here for the podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of the Sunday

 

Homily: Ash Wednesday 2014

Image: Blessing the Dust © Jan Richardson

So why do we gather today to receive ashes?  It is not a Holy Day of Obligation and yet today our liturgies will be filled with those looking to receive ashes.

Ashes – is it just a tradition that we follow?
Or…are we looking to make an outward sign of our Christianity?
Or…are we remembering our own mortality and/or that of our loved ones?

It is for my friend, artist, writer and minister, Jan Richardson, who lost her husband this past December.  As I was preparing my homily for this Ash Wednesday her blog post dealing with this loss…and the ashes came to light.  And it hit me.

Her story…your story…the ashes…and God. 

It is all there.

Click here for the podcast of the live recording of the Homily

Click here for the text of the Homily

Click here for the readings