On this third Sunday of Advent, Ellen explores joy through Psalm 126 and the well known hymn, Joy to the World.

Each week, Ellen will explore and well known Christmas carol and the lectionary psalm of the week.

It is John the Baptist week in Advent! As we prepare, we discover it is time to tidy up. Just like Marie Konda, John the Baptist helps us get started but he will not do the work for us.

Ellen is pausing her study on the parables of Jesus to explore songs and psalms of Advent. Each week, she will take the lectionary psalm and a well known hymn.

At the heart of apocalyptic literature is a desire for a better future. It is often born into chaos with a hope that someone will swoop down and transform the world into a heavenly place. why? Because we do not want to do the hard work of cleaning it up. The first Sunday in Advent calls for us to recognize the mess we have made.

Do you assume the best seat in the house is reserved for you? If so, you might have a humility problem.

This is the last parable in the Gospel of Matthew and the last of the three parables on judgment in the 25th Chapter of Matthew. The parables about the sheep and the goats may seem straightforward but there is something you have to truly understand to really "get it."

Today we look at the Parable of the Talents to see what Jesus thought we need to be doing before He returns. You could also call this parable, "Do Not Gaslight the Master!"

today, in Maxie Dunham's book on Parables, Ellen discusses our most common and most destructive sin.

Today Ellen will help us learn how to live without our possessions controlling us.