Dec 08 2008
New Year’s Prayer
May you be blessed with vision
in these shadow times.
May light invade the darkness.
May it be a soft brilliance,
as bare as candlelight,
guiding you through
twilight ’til dawn.
And when the dawn breaks,
may you find yourself
upon a threshold.
May you enter
and go through,
and may you emerge
into the dance-
a whole and holy new
dance of grace.
-Maureen J. Hilliard, SND
Dec 04 2008
preached by Winton Boyd on November 30, 2008
Text: Mark 13:24-37
At the beginning of Advent, many a preacher faces some predictable tensions when it comes to preaching the lectionary texts. While we think of Advent as the coming of the baby in a manager, the ancient church coupled the birth of Jesus and its celebration with the promise of a a second coming of God at the end of this age. Thus, while the culture within and outside our congregations are often ready to move into the story of shepherds, angels, stars, babies, mangers and dumbstruck parents – the tradition of the church begins us with these bizarre, often outlandish prophetic or apocalyptic passages like today’s text. It is a hard fall from the peaceful and graceful gratitude of Thanksgiving to some promise hidden in a story about a thief in the night and clouds of glory and power. Continue Reading »
