Welcome to the “controlled skid” season. The ice and snow held off Saturday night but still hit us hard. Thanks to all of you who joined us in person and on Zoom Saturday night. Due to the unusual nature of our service, we did not record our sermon for this week.

Instead, I want to offer the Collect for the 2nd Week of Christmas, which our sermon was based on (along with John 1:14), and the Collect for the Epiphany. The Epiphany is a season of celebrating Christ’s revelation to the Gentiles. He’s King of the Jews and King of the World! And, it is worth the reminder that he is our King.

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share
our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son
to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by
faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to
face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Epiphanytide (the season after the Epiphany) lasts until the beginning of Lent. This is a good time for us to reflect on how we see Jesus' goodness revealed in the world around us and in our individual lives.

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For the Love of Links is a collection of random bits of joy from the Interwebs. Some are serious, some are fun, many are both, and a few are neither. (FTLOL is a not-for-profit sponsor of the Oxford Comma.)

Epiphany is this Monday, January 6. Here are a few articles that might shed some light on this special day that is often overlooked. — Epiphany Wiki — Epiphany on CRI — Dipping Children in Frozen Rivers

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The title oversells this discovery, but it is interesting nonetheless. — Archaeologists Found a Skeleton Wearing an Amulet That May Change the History of Christianity

Sometimes, it really is the little things that make life work. It will be awhile before I do this task without thinking of this image. — Dishwasher

It is a good reminder that being hard-core about some of the more archaic points of the Christian calendar is not necessarily Christian. No more Advent Fundamentalism— The Advent Police

The Christmas Season ends on Monday. Here’s one last laugh for the season.

You may not have heard of the Cleverlys, but you know most of the songs they do.

May former president Jimmy Carter rest in peace. Here’s a clip of him attempting humor with David Letterman.

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On this first Sunday of Christmas, we watch Jesus ditch his parents and explain to them why he was teaching in the Temple. It reminds us of God’s presence in our lives' mundane, ordinary, and even frustrating events. Through the Incarnation, Jesus is all up in our “stuff.”

How does God judge the world? In a word, from the inside. As one of us. Through Jesus, the judge who becomes the judged.

He judges the world through two women who shouldn’t be pregnant. One is too old, and the other unmarried. In the song of the marginalized. Through the song of a 14-year-old dancing on the head of a snake. From a manger. From a position of helplessness and vulnerability. Through Eve, Elizabeth, and Mary.

(We reviewed four images in this sermon. Each of them are included below.)

This is the last FTLOL for the year. Stay tuned for the January 5, 2025, edition. New things are coming for FTLOL in the coming year. For now, Merry Christmas!

This nice article from Plough is about an evocative image of the mother of Jesus and the world’s first mother, Eve. — Mary Consoles Eve

Karen Swallow Prior is an excellent writer and an acute observer of contemporary Christianity. She reminds us that we are all susceptible.

I’m still recovering from some bad “tinsel” experiences growing up. Southern Living shows us how to do it right — Tinsel on Trees? This video is a pained attempt to be funny. — Cat in a Tinsel Wig

‘Tis the season for celebrating the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God become human. It is not the era of AI becoming God. This is an intriguing exploration of this subject. (PG-13 notice) — AI Will Show You the Face of God

Who would do such a thing? I know WHO!

Here’s the original link that inspired my hunting down this piece of aeromabilia. — Speed Tape and Tolkien?

It’s one of my favorite Christmas songs, but I really don’t get it. Are the three ships actually ships? Are they the camels? Is it the Trinity? Does it just sound goo? Enjoy this version by Blackmore’s Night.

Jimmy Fallon and Saiorse Ronan sing this Irish classic of someone having a rough Christmas week. — Fairytale of New York

This is my favorite Christmas song that’s not really a Christmas song. I hear it, and I can’t help but think that the honorable Mr. T Bone is talking about Jesus. It sounds like incarnation. “He Came Down” by T Bone Burnett

“Vipers,” “axes.” “burning,” and “fire!” And John continued to preach the Good News, saying many other things to encourage the people. - Luke 3:18

Sometimes the lectionary takes us down roads that we might not want to go. Especially in Advent. During this season, we hear calls for judgment wrapped up with the message of joy. Do judgment and mercy really go together? As much as the seasons of Advent and Christmas do.

Because he is just, we are capable of knowing justice; it is because he is just, that we have the idea of justice so deeply imbedded in us. – George McDonald

“How does God judge the world?” From the inside. As one of us. His judgment is never separate from his mercy. God is always love and always just.

We make a lot of the difference between Christmas and Advent. We all know Christmas carols, but the Advent hymns are less well-known. Here are three, including one by Charles Wesley and another by the great Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hymns are theology sung, and these are really good theology. Enjoy reading these lyrics — Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (CW), Godhead Here In Hiding (GMH), and of course, here is the history of the lyrics to the ancient, often sung at Wheatland, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. (JMN)

And here’s a great Wheatland curated Advent playlist (for Spotify users-thanks Joanna and Kelly) - Advent Playlist WMC

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Here’s a great rendition of “Come Thou Long Expected”

And here is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” in Hebrew and English. Performed in Jerusalem.

This “little” Quaker cared more. Benjamin Lay is an excellent example of the challenge that Christianity should be to the world. — The 18th-Century Quaker Dwarf Who Challenged Slavery, Meat-Eating, and Racism

The guys at the Rest Is History Podcast do a great job on him too—Benjamin Lay

I was an adult before I learned where to put the apostrophe. Texas Monthly reminds us that we need the 2nd person plural. By the way, the 2nd person plural is one thing the King James Version has going for it — In Defense of Y’all

John McWhorter takes it further with the ubiquity of “you guys.” It is not, IMHO, a better alternative.

… and I hope you can’t either. His lyrics and life were broken and grace-filled. This old article reflects on his life, which was a little bit cross-shaped. — Johnny of the Cross

Almost an Advent hymn. Almost . . .

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Kelly reminds us that God’s Judgment defeats evil through the “tender compassion of our God.” Her powerful message comes from “The Song of Zechariah” in Luke 1:68-79. (It’s a hymn we frequently pray during Morning Prayer.)

The Song of Zechariah ~ Benedictus Dominus Deus

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the
shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This article hit home. Being a part of a congregation is a miracle and a gift. Never more so than in today. I’d love to hear your reactions to this article — Why Millions of Americans Stopped Going To Church

Today is the day we celebrate the birth of St. Nicholas of Myra. He’s the historical figure who inspired various stories that eventually culminated in the Coca-Cola Santa. He’s not just a nice-guy who gives presents. — The Real St. Nicholas/Video

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The actor is getting a lot of advice on how to say his lines from Great Britain’s finest actors. — Unsolicited Advice

We Who Wrestle With God is Jordan Peterson’s latest book. Here’s a fair-handed, and insightful review of Peterson’s writing on the Scriptural stories. With Peterson we read Scripture through a fresh, and in some ways, unorthodox lens — Jordan Peterson’s prophecies

Labor saving devices are a genuine blessing. But can the tedious, mundane work of life be a blessing too? — The Lost Art of Effort: Finding Value in a World of Endless Choices

Check out these beautiful icons. You can even purchase prints by this contemporary Ukrainian artist. — Христина Квик / Krystyna Kyvk Etsy Shop or check out her stuff on Instagram

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“But be on your guard. Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping.” - Luke 21:34 The Message

The Christmas season is on us! It’s the perfect time to recall that our Christian calendar tells us it is not Christmas yet but Advent. This is the season of longing. It is when we recall, through the prophets, the experience of God’s people in exile, looking for his deliverance.

In a word, they were longing for God’s judgment—God’s decisive action against evil and in favor of his people. His judgment is not something to avoid or ignore but something to long for. God’s judgment comes to us in a manger.

Some links from the sermon:

Te Deum Laudamus - “we believe you will come and be our judge”

“The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats

The Deacon and Hippie - this story has made the rounds over the years.