Category Archives: Advent
Advent 2012 – Week 4
The Psalms tell us to lift up our eyes… to see with an elevated vision. This is exactly what Advent invites us to do.
In this lesson, I’ll recognize that it’s tough in our culture, to make December a month of vision-elevating. But, I’ll suggest some ways to be thinking now, that will help us in January.
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Advent 2012 – Week 3
On Friday, 20 children were murdered in their school and 6 adults who tried to protect them. Can we celebrate this season’s focus on “hope” when something like that happens? We’ll see. I have a few remarks to make, but most … Continue reading
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Advent 2012 – Week 2
So sure, hope is a great thing.
Sure, prophets speak and angels sing…
“Comfort… comfort my people.”
That’s all well and good. But brass-tacks reality insists we at least mention the high price exacted of those who bring hope into the earth. Look at how our carriers of hope have been dismissed, ridiculed, persecuted, and crucified.
What do we do about that? Continue reading
Advent 2012 – week 1
When we think of “prophesy” we think of predicting the future. That’s not what the ancients thought. They thought of prophets as “seers,” seeing what the rest of us miss – and in particular, seeing the things of the Divine.
Today, we read one of our ancient prophets as he “sees” hope. Continue reading
Advent 2010: Home for Christmas
At Christmas time, being home is a value for many. But what is “home?” We long for it, but it’s a moving target. The people and things we associate with “home” are always changing, so “home” never stays the same. We long for something that is always evaporating away.
So how do we live? Continue reading
Advent 2010: Failure? There Is No Stinking Failure!
I teach my kids all the time that they cannot not fail in life. I tell them they will embarrass themselves. They will shame themselves. They will fall into something they can’t believe they’ve fallen into.
The measure of your soul isn’t how well you avoid failure and sin. It’s what you do next. Continue reading
Advent 2010: On Roosters and Readiness
One of the most moving stories I’ve read comes from a memoir of a minister who lived about the time I was born. It involves a rooster and his great shame.
It also involves a call to us for readiness and redemption.
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Advent 2008: A Late and Hurried Advent Message (with apologies)
This year, we’ve been more inattentive to the meaningful season of Advent than usual. Here, this last week of Advent, in a hurried attempt to make up for lost time, we talk about why the season matters. It’s a very old practice, setting aside these weeks leading up to the Feast of Christmas. What is Advent? Why should we include it in the Christmas season? What does it do for our souls? Continue reading
Advent 2007: On Hope and Selective Seeing (part 2)
by Doug Hammack Add synopsis [Download MP3]
Advent 2007: On Hope and Selective Seeing (part 1)
by Doug Hammack Add synopsis [Download MP3]