On the Unexpected

It doesn’t take long for us to see that the expectations we have for the Christ Child might not match the plans of God. The Epiphany season of the Church Calendar is here to disrupt our expectations of Jesus. After Advent and Christmas, Epiphany rolls on in with equal amounts of celebration and confusion. Following […]

On Epiphanies

Epiphanies tend to come in waves. That is to say, one epiphany can lead to a second. Or, a singular epiphany can morph over time into an even greater one. The same is true for the Church’s Epiphany season that follows Christmas, during which there is much to discover. Epiphany kicks off with the celebration […]

On Christmastide

The secular celebration of the Christmas season seems to start early and end fast. The Church Calendar though offers a different approach to this time of year. Advent, which is in many ways clearly distinct from Christmas, is a quieter and slower waiting period leading up to Christmas, and then the joyous Christmas hubbub can […]

On Hope and Despair

When waiting in the dark for God, there are two companions at our side: hope and despair. One is there to comfort and the other is there to destroy. The story of Jesus’ birth and the season of Advent urge us to have hope when despair is leaning heavily on our spirit, or even threatening […]