Joseph had it all planned out - the marriage, the job, the wife. And then Jesus happened. Joseph chose compassion over the law. His righteousness was not about obeying laws, but about trusting God, even when things were not going to plan. Matthew 1:18-25

The Magnificat is supposed to be about unabashed excitement. It is a "Hallelujah" from Mary that God is great, and that the promise of God's love is near. Luke 1:29-56

What does love look like? Is it the perfect gift under the tree? God shows us love thru incarnation, not with words but with the WORD made flesh. When no one was looking, God filled an empty manger with love. When no one is looking, how will we show what love looks like? Luke 1:39-56

Often when we are asked to do important tasks in difficult times, we see ourselves as being stressed. not blessed. Nothing about Mary warrants our attention: a young girl from a nowhere place. The joyous mystery of Advent is not just the coming of Christ, but that God chooses an insignificant girl in an insignificant town to change the fate of the world. Let it be with us today. Luke 1:24-38

We do not like mysteries, the unknown. We want to know what's going to happen next. Mary, a young girl from a small village, is somehow able to sit in the mystery. "Let it be, according to your word." Luke 1:26-38

Thanksgiving is not about waiting for everything to be perfect. Thanksgiving often occurs when all the big stuff is gone, and we find that it's really the many little blessings that matter. Psalm 106.

In the midst of the deadliest war in US History, President Lincoln mandated that we set aside a National Day of Thanksgiving. The Psalmist writes "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast loves endures forever." Our gratitude aligns our will with God's will, our blessings with the One who blesses us. Psalm 106:1-3

Each year we gather hundreds of people from our congregation, Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo, and the Orange County Islamic Foundation to create food baskets for Families Forward in Irvine, CA. These are a selection of interviews from the event, answering the question" why did you come today?"

Loving our neighbor does not have to be complicated. We don't need to feed 5,000 or heal the nation. We are judged by our simple acts of kindness: to feed a stranger, to give comfort to one who is hurting, to stop worrying about our beliefs and laws and simply care for one another. Matthew 25:34-40.

"Before and After" claims from products go way back. So does the story of the radical transformative power of the love of Jesus. Zacchaeus was living the "American Dream"; he thought he had it all. When Jesus shows him love and compassion, Zacchaeus is saved from of a life of "me" to a life of caring and giving. Luke 19:1-10