Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C, RCL)
59 results found.
Mary’s fear and desperation (Luke 1:39-55)
Is it hard to obey the angel's command, "Do not be afraid"?
December 23, Advent 4C (Luke 1:39-55)
Motherhood and ministry are intertwined for me.
Coronation of the Madonna and Child, with Five Angels, by Sandro Botticelli
Art selection and commentary by Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons
How dancing in The Nutcracker has shaped my sense of Advent
When I read the annunciation story, I picture Mary as Clara.
by Amy Ziettlow
Mary's joy is for everyone
The Magnificat rejoices in a God who acts within human history.
God's words and liturgy's echo
"I love you," says God. "We love you, too," our prayers reply.
Good news for the rich and poor (Luke1:46b–55)
What a relief it might be to middle-class America to be sent away empty.
Visitation, by Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557)
Art selection and commentary by Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons
Blessed are Mary, Judith, and Yael
This story is full of echoes—most famously, Mary's song echoes Hannah's. But there is another echo: Elizabeth's praise of Mary, which gets taken up into the Hail Mary, is an echo of Deborah's song in Judges 5.
December 20, Fourth Sunday of Advent
Mary is a jazz singer, improvising on a familiar tune.
Sing our souls
Would it be that we all could sing our souls. I think Mary helps us. I think we should read her song, and preach it, and sing it over and over again.
Sampling Isaiah, Mary's song sings of mercy, strength, humility, and the truest meaning of charity. Her song hears in each of these virtues a gift of God, and a sign of God's desire for all.
By Wes D. Avram
Sunday, December 14, 2014: Luke 1:46b-55
Mary’s song marks a transformation from seeing her condition’s weight to receiving a new power within the situation. And then, finally, she is a participant in the work of God’s spirit.
by Wes D. Avram
Vivaldi's business plan
Vivaldi wrote his Magnificat for a choir of female orphans to sing for their supper. They were truly singing Mary's song.
by Samuel Wells
The spirit in which we preach
Like many pastors, I remember clearly the first sermon I ever preached. It was during my second semester of seminary, and I probably worked on it for 50 hours. Each detail was written and rewritten until I was confident I had produced the greatest theological document by a seminarian in quite some time.