In the Gospels and other parts of the New Testament we meet a seemingly new enemy.

After being disciplined by the Lord through the Exile and renewing their commitment to follow God’s ways, the people of God have become pretty good at doing what they think the Law of God requires. Especially the Pharisees and teachers.

But there is a rot festering in their very midst.

Demons.

The forces of the Enemy of all people walked amongst them, attacking and enslaving whomever they wished.

Yes Jesus came to show the world a new path and to be a light to all nations. But he also came to conquer that which we so often fear unconquerable.

Thanks be to God.

What do work, worship, service, ministry, and the arts all have in common? One word.

Lauren’s and my little family have almost no new stories. Mostly just the same old rhubarbs that have kept us laughing, crying, and sometimes wincing for years.

This isn’t (I hope!) because we’re boring or unimaginative. It’s actually important, because our stories situate us and help remind us of who we are. This is, in part, why I believe C. S. Lewis said, “The matter of our story should be a part of the habitual furniture of our mind.”

Some stories must be retold over and over and over again. They’re that important.

When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan river by his cousin John, he reveals to us how we can meet God in the here and now - Sacraments.

Your boss may be a Glory Hog if you ever hear something like, “Your ideas are outstanding! I’m glad I had them.”

Glory Hogs are bad news. They destroy teams and communities. They’re obsessed with glory, fame, and praise, and can’t stand the thought of someone else getting them.

Ultimately, of course, Glory Hogs are conniving, insecure, and petty. Miserable traits.

Yet, in this week’s Epistle, we’re told three times that God’s goal in all the good St. Paul describes is for one reason only: to receive praise for the glory of his name. He is, in fact, totally, 100%, and in every other way committed to it.

Doesn’t that make God a Glory Hog? So how can that be good news?

The promise given to David was that God would make for himself a home, and that David’s descendent would sit upon the throne forever.

A temple and a king.

But the Temple built by Solomon is burned to the ground and the line of David ends with the last king of Judah blinded and taken away to Babylon.

Yet the people of God kept on hoping in this promise.

And those hopes find their home in a young woman from Nazareth.

Last week a friend asked rhetorically, “Wouldn’t life be simpler if there were just good guys and bad guys?” I had to agree. It would.

Either/Or thinking creates less tension (and uses less energy) than Both/And thinking.

When it comes to what salvation means, some Christians would say, “It’s all about saving souls”. Others insist, “It’s all about making life on earth better.” Practically speaking, it’s Either/Or.

The readings for the Third Sunday of Advent, however, would insist that it’s not quite that simple.