Children's Moment 1/8/2017

The Magi made the long trip, not to see the current king, not to consult the powerful, but to pay homage to a child. Perhaps we, too, should be wary of the powerful and pay more attention to the children.

In Luke's gospel, eight days after Jesus was born his parents took him to the Temple for circumcision. There, two older people with their own stories laid eyes on the baby and knew, immediately, who this child was and would be. What does this have to do with making our own New Year's resolutions?

Michael writes a story for each Christmas and reads it at the Christmas Day worship service. This year's story is another one about Rufus, the apprentice angel. In this story, Rufus is learning the craft of songwriting to be able to write a song proclaiming the birth of Jesus.

There is some question as to whether the rose refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, or to Jesus. But what about Joseph, the step-father, whose righteousness is evident in everything he does? And yet Joseph is relegated to a minor role in many ways, except in Matthew's gospel.

Children's Moment 12/18/2016

The prophet tells us, "the desert shall rejoice and blossom, like the crocus." What does it mean to "rejoice and blossom," and how can we reflect that in our lives? Is it connected with fulfilling God's dream for the world?

Children's Moment 12/11/2016

The prophet foresees a time when the cow and the bear will graze together and the lion will eat straw like the ox. That's not the way the world works, is it? What does this mean?

For us as Christians, the Christmas season doesn't begin right after Halloween, as it seems to do throughout our culture. We have this Advent season, a time of anticipation, a time of preparation. And what does that mean for us as we anticipate the birth of Jesus?