December 19, 2025 O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, freeThine own from Satan’s tyranny;From depths of hell Thy people save,And give them victory o’er the grave. One of my favorite activities is hiking, and one of my favorite objects to observe while hiking is trees. Trees amaze me, from their intricate root systems to theContinueContinue reading “O Antiphons of Advent: Root of Jesse”
Tag Archives: Advent
Advent’s O Antiphons: Adonai
December 18, 2025 O come, O come, great Lord of might,who to your tribes on Sinai’s heightin ancient times did give the lawin cloud and majesty and awe. On the West Bank, Palestine, in the city of Bethlehem, lies the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the Church ofContinueContinue reading “Advent’s O Antiphons: Adonai”
Advent’s O Antiphons: Wisdom
December 17, 2025 O come, O Wisdom from on high,who ordered all things mightily;to us the path of knowledge showand teach us in its ways to go. This last week before Christmas Day has always been mystical to me, a thin place of sorts, where we move willingly or not toward the Winter Solstice, theContinueContinue reading “Advent’s O Antiphons: Wisdom”
Advent 2024: Fog
Advent Day 18, December 18, 2024 The above photo shows the view from my kitchen window yesterday morning. At this time of year, with the leaves gone, I can usually see the traffic below on one of the busiest roads into the city, but not yesterday. Fog snaked low across the valley before descending over the roadContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Fog”
Advent 2024: JOY
Advent Day 13, December 13, 2024 “We need a little Christmas now.” Songwriter Jerry Herman If you’re looking for a prayer app, let me suggest Lectio365, a 10 minute devotional resource composed by leaders of Prayer 24/7, an international Christian movement focusing on prayer, mission, and justice. My reflection this morning is motivated by yesterday’sContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: JOY”
Advent 2024: The Long Goodbye
Advent Day 12, December 12, 2024 Today marks the 10th anniversary of my mother’s death. She died at 94 after a long decline caused by dementia and Parkinson’s disease which left her a “two-assist,” an impersonal term meaning that it required two people to move her from her bed anywhere else, even though she only weighedContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: The Long Goodbye”
Advent 2024: Waiting with Birds
(Photo courtesy of (c) Turner Matthews, Decatur, Alabama, USA) Advent Day 10, December 10, 2024 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 Some two thousand years ago, in a politicalContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Waiting with Birds”
Advent 2024: The Lynching of Robert Mosley
(Image of Robert Mosley painted with red clay from the soil of Madison County, Alabama, United States) Advent Day Nine, December 9, 2024 This past Saturday, I attended a sobering and unusual event: the dedication of the first memorial marker for the ten lynching victims in my home county alone, the last lynching in myContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: The Lynching of Robert Mosley”
Advent 2024: Love and Light
Advent Day 7, December 7, 2024 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1: 3-4) You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. (1ContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Love and Light”
Advent 2024: Harmony
(Photo credit T. Brett McMahan) Eastern Europe Advent Day Six, December 6, 2024 Definition of harmony from the Cambridge Dictionary: (1) a pleasant musical sound made by different notes being played or sung at the same time. (2) A situation in which people are peaceful and agree with each other, or when things seem right or suitable together.ContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Harmony”
Spirit Reflections 