Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A, RCL)
33 results found.
Jesus’ many names (Matthew 1:18-25)
Thank God Joseph recognized him.
December 18, Adv 4A (Matthew 1:18-25)
Joseph has a massive decision to make.
Don’t tell my Pentecostal mom, but I pray the Hail Mary
My Grandma Violet was the black sheep of our family. I think of her when I pray.
God's face shines (Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19)
Can we sense the Holy Spirit’s presence as God’s face shining upon us?
December 24 and 25, Nativity (Isaiah 9:2–7; Luke 2:1–20)
Preachers who value their pulpit would be wise to avoid Isaiah 9 this Christmas Eve.
December 22, Advent 4A (Matthew 1:18–25; Isaiah 7:10–16; Romans 1:1–7)
Good people and new names (Matthew 1:18–25)
Every child is from God. Joseph gets an explicit divine promise.
December 18, Fourth Sunday of Advent: Matthew 1:18–25
Matthew's geneaology underscores that God has always worked through messy and broken families.
God among the imperfect: The holy family didn't meet the ideal either
I don’t know what a perfect first-century family looked like, but I’m certain that Joseph and Mary didn’t qualify.
Lord and God
Bart Ehrman's conclusions aren't novel to anyone familiar with historical scholarship on Christology. But those aren't the readers he has in mind.
Is Isaiah about Jesus?
What do these words from Isaiah ben Amoz mean for us?
My first instinct is to meditate on Isaiah 9 in light of its historical situation, which is bound up with the geopolitics of the late 8th century BCE.
Don't be afraid to do this
In the Bible, God--or sometimes God's messenger--often implores freaked-out men and women not to be afraid. It's a standard divine greeting, a nicety to allay the pulse-quickening shock of receiving a message from heaven. Frequently the commandment stands alone: Fear not, period. Sometimes it's stitched to an object or person: Do not be afraid of _____.