Into the darkness of that dank stable, a child is born. Into the darkness of the world, a light shines. From the knotty, gnarled stump of Jesse, a shoot springs up.

This is it. To you is born this day a Savior. A Savior!

The waiting is over. Hope is here. This is the olive branch in the beak of Noah’s dove, the confirmation that all is not lost. Life will flourish again.

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Folks, we’re on our way. We’re on our way to that town that has come up again and again this Advent. We’re on our way to Bethlehem.

We journey with Mary, uncomfortable in the final days of pregnancy. Our bodies are tired and pinched. We’re aching and ready to give birth, to experience the life that lies on the other side of labor. [Read more…]

In the story of Jesus’s birth, Joseph plays a bit part. He’s not as central to the narrative as Mary, yet we shouldn’t overlook him. Consider the honor with which he conducts himself. Mary’s miraculous extramarital pregnancy tarnishes both of their reputations. Still, Joseph resolves to “dismiss her quietly,” without fanfare or scandal. He doesn’t want to make things harder for her, this woman he has come to love. [Read more…]

Imagine the ordinariness of this moment: Mary is padding around the house in her socks, wiping the crumbs off the breakfast table and washing the dishes. She stands at the sink, one hand plunged into the dishwater to clean the spoons, the other tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. [Read more…]

A lonely voice is carried down the centuries by a dry desert wind: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!

The voice prophesied by Isaiah is growing louder, clearer. Its source is coming into view. It is John the Baptist, calling out to the people of Israel. [Read more…]