Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A, RCL)

Thank God Joseph recognized him.

Joseph has a massive decision to make.

My Grandma Violet was the black sheep of our family. I think of her when I pray.

Can we sense the Holy Spirit’s presence as God’s face shining upon us?

Preachers who value their pulpit would be wise to avoid Isaiah 9 this Christmas Eve.

Every child is from God. Joseph gets an explicit divine promise.

Matthew's geneaology underscores that God has always worked through messy and broken families.

I don’t know what a perfect first-century family looked like, but I’m certain that Joseph and Mary didn’t qualify.

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.

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 8^th century BCE.

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 _____.