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Feast of Saint Stephen, Archdeacon and First Martyr

WE OFTEN THINK THAT WHEN DECEMBER 25 IS PAST, Christmas is over. But no, this rich, extended feast is just beginning. The whole of Christmas—all twelve days of it—is about the Incarnation. This central mystery of Christian faith is brought home to us by the infant in the manger, the Child wrapped in swaddling-clothes. The cradle scene stays with us—or at least, it is supposed to remain set up—throughout the twelve days. Gazing on the

Christmas, 2012

What shall we offer you, O Christ?Who for our sake appeared on earth as a human?Every creature made by you offers you thanksgiving.The angels offer you a hymn,The heavens, a star,The magi, gifts,The shepherds, their wonder,The earth, its cave,The wilderness, a manger,And we offer to you, a Virgin Mother.(Vesper Hymn) The simplicity of the story of Christ’s birth reveals the depth of God’s love and the mystery of His actions in our life. As we

Christmas Eve: The Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent

The persons who are involved in the story of Christ’s birth were all quite different. Mary and Joseph were humble travelers seeking a place of shelter. The shepherds were simple men of the land tending their flocks. The wise men were wealthy and aristocratic foreigners wandering in a strange land. Yet, each of them shared a common characteristic. They opened their hearts to the actions of the Lord who mysteriously led them to the village

Christmas Advent: The Thirtieth Day

The Russian Nativity Icon The Russian nativity icon vividly portrays the Christmas perspective of the Orthodox Church. Through symbolism and teaching about Gods incarnation (becoming human) the icon presents Christmas as a “feast of re-creation.” The word icon is a Greek word meaning “image” or “likeness.” The nativity icon is done in an art style dating back to the sixth century Byzantine Empire. Orthodox iconography is a purely idealistic art form. Through the Byzantine style

Christmas Advent: The Twenty-Ninth Day

Thin Places (Part III) More hectic than holy? If you visit Bethlehem today, you’ll find that it doesn’t have the same kind of pastoral, quiet and mystical aura of a thin place like Iona. There’s jostling with a long line of pilgrims waiting to get into the Church of the Nativity, monks yelling instructions to be quiet, cameras flashing, security officers mulling about — all for people to get one chance to touch the star

Christmas Advent: The Nineteenth Day

THE BLIND FAITH OF MARY AND JOSEPH Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. -ISAIAH 7:14 Kingdom people are history makers. They break through the small kingdoms of this world to an alternative and much larger world, God’s full creation. People who are still living in the false self are history stoppers. They use God and

Christmas Advent: The Fifteenth Day

AN INDELIBLE IMAGE: two pregnant women, one of them just beginning to show, the other round and heavy, who is startled when her infant leaps in her womb. It’s a joyful scene, both everyday and extraordinary. For Elizabeth’s child, we are told, recognizes that Mary bears the Savior long promised to Israel. Mary is, as Elizabeth suddenly exclaims—no doubt after being kicked hard by John—the mother of the Lord. It usually takes a good kick

Christmas Advent: The Fourteenth Day

TODAY WE REFLECT ON A MYSTERY: when our lives are most barren, when possibilities are cruelly limited, and despair takes hold, when we feel most keenly the emptiness of life—it is then that God comes close to us. This is a day for those who are  grieving or suffering loss during Advent, lamenting that just as we are suffering, and need to weep, the world force-feeds us merriment and cheer. But we are not without

Christmas Advent: The Thirteenth Day

THE GENEALOGICAL LINE OF JUDAH’S DESCENDANTS given in Matthew’s Gospel follows the history of the nation all the way from its father, Abraham, to the birth of Jesus, the fulfillment of all messianic prophecy, the One “who is called Christ.” This grand finale is what we celebrate in the weeks of Advent. The planting of the male “seed,” which was to germinate and ripen in the furrows of successive generations, was a vital responsibility as

Preparing for Christmas

When we demand satisfaction of one another, when we demand any completion to history on our terms, when we demand that our anxiety or any dissatisfaction be taken away, saying, as it were, “Why weren’t you this for me? Why didn’t life do that for me?” we are refusing to say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” We are refusing to hold out for the full picture that is always given in time by God. When we set