(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”
Tag Archives: Advent
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”
Advent 2024: Look
St. Naum at Monastery of St. Naum, Macedonia, (c) T. Brett McMahan Advent Day 5, December 5, 2024 You Reading This, Be Ready ~ by William Stafford Starting here, what do you want to remember?How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?What scent of old wood hovers, what softenedsound from outside fills the air? Will youContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Look”
Advent 2024: Silence
Advent Day 4, December 4, 2024 Lo, in the silent nightA child to God is bornAnd all is brought againThat ere was lost or lorn. Could but thy soul, O man,Become a silent night!God would be born in theeAnd set all things aright. Whoever wrote this 15th century verse knew a truth about the giftContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Silence”
Advent 2024: Waiting as One
Advent Day 3: December 3, 2024 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3: 8) A funny thing happened to me at church this past Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. As IContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Waiting as One”
Advent 2024: Waiting as One
December 1, 2024 Welcome, any and all, to this season of Advent, the four-week period of waiting for the Light to be born. Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, a believer of anything or of nothing, you are welcome here. We’re all alive, breathing as one, at this same moment, on this same planet, our common aches,ContinueContinue reading “Advent 2024: Waiting as One”
The Longest Night
December 21, 2023 To all those, everywhere, who are experiencing a “longest night” this holy-day season, hold fast to the promise that “the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it” (John 1:5). And a poem to remind each other we are not along, but together, we can share our light: CandleContinueContinue reading “The Longest Night”
Advent 3: What if . . .
December 18, 2023 What If . . . we turned down the noiseof Holiday Traditionsclosed the email accountswith all of those varioussources that encourage usto do Adventrightset aside the plethoraof spiritual bookshoping to guide us intoa valley of perfectwaitingand tuned outthe spiritual guruseager to revealthe promise ofimpeccablestillness.What ifit were enoughinsteadto sitwordlessjust as we arein aContinueContinue reading “Advent 3: What if . . .”
Spirit Reflections 