Sermons on Advent

Well, I know that I normally preach an accidentally sad sermon for Christmas and Easter, so I decided to move it up a few days this year! All joking aside, there has been an increasing acknowledgement of the ways that the holidays are not just celebratory for everyone, despite the Christmas music playing in stores starting at Halloween and the images of presents under the…

The Magnificat has always been one of my favorite Gospel readings; Mary’s song of praise! This young, poor, unwed mother gives voice to her trust in God and her belief that the promises God speaks of are true. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant. From this day all…

When I was a kid, my parents thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for the local swim team. I always loved being in the water, plus it would be a good way for me to build up stamina again after recovering from a few surgeries. I certainly wasn’t the best swimmer on my team, and I was terrible at swimming long distances, preferring the sprint races to the longer…