The month of December is often filled with deep nostalgia, from traditions of decorating trees, memories of loved ones gathered, and favorite songs that help us reflect and connect. During this month, we might also recall unpleasant memories. You see, that’s the double-edged sword of nostalgia. In one breath, we can fondly remember a loved one while mourning their absence. Nostalgia is tricky like that. With those thoughts and feelings we gathered tonight among dim lights, we heard the familiar Christmas story, and soon we will be sent singing “Silent Night,” reminded that all is calm, and all is bright.

It finally happened this week. After resisting for so long, I succumbed to that upcoming holiday – the one we haven’t started celebrating yet – and I listened to Christmas music. Even worse, I even sang along! And I know, during this time of waiting we call Advent we have to be patient. I was doing so well too! My end of the semester reading and writing was perfectly accompanied by the meditative and anticipatory music of Advent as I awaited both Christ’s coming and the coming end of my school work. The Church tells us to spend this time to prepare ourselves for Christmas – and if you were here last week, you know that I even preached about that from this very pulpit! So I confess to you, my siblings in Christ, that I am already looking forward to the end of this week with joyous anticipation and living into that Christmas spirit a bit...

How are you all doing this morning? I ask because I know that this can be a difficult time of year for many people. This can be a time of business and stress: Presents have to be bought, the days are getting ever darker, and there are those sometimes awkward work holiday parties to attend. And I know that for some people, the holidays are a painful reminder of absent loved ones. At seminary, the stress has been off the charts recently thanks to finals and the end of the semester. Or maybe you’re just not a fan of snow and woke up to a nice layer of it this morning. Some have said that the year of 2016 has been an especially difficult time to deal with. This year has been characterized with the deaths of beloved celebrities, numerous mass shootings or incidents of violence, and an especially nasty campaign and election. For whatever reason, I know that this time of year it can be hard to be in the Christmas spirit that’s been pervasive in media and in retail stores for weeks now. It can be hard to find the joy that we’ve been told we should feel...

We live in a world of endless voices. We hear the voices of our supervisor or board members direct us. We hear politicians say very different things. The media, researchers, doctors, therapists, and advertisers convince us to listen to them. Whom do we listen to? Is that a fake news story or is it accurate? Is that person spinning something for their own gain? Some of the voices grate. Others are shrill. Yet, today, one voice rings out in the wilderness...

“Keep awake” is what Jesus said. (Matthew 24:42) “Keep awake.” Clearly he has no idea what we’ve been through. I’m exhausted. In the past month we’ve cheered at the World Series; we’ve followed a divisive election cycle; we gathered at Thanksgiving tables with those different from us; and now we’re on to the rest of the holiday season. With all the coffee we’re drinking, we’re awake already! Yet, today Jesus reminds us to “keep awake.”...

I’m uncomfortable. It’s not only that Thanksgiving with my politically divided family is this week. It’s more than last Thursday’s high temperature of 72 followed by last night’s low of 27. I’m most uncomfortable with the title of today’s feast day. Here we use title “The Reign of Christ,” and, to be clear, that’s “reign” as in ruling with authority, not “rain” as in precipitation from the sky. As a title, The Reign of Christ communicates power. So on this Sunday I’d expect us to read about when Jesus flipped tables in the synagogue, or raised someone from the dead, or the miracle of water turned into wine. Instead, we got the crucifixion story from Luke. It’s an uncomfortable and seemingly odd scene to read as we gear up for the holidays...

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I think it’s safe to say that this has been an emotional week in our country. I imagine many of you were disappointed by the results of last Tuesday’s election – I imagine many of you were excited by them too. One thing seems clear to me, after 18 months of campaigning and debating and bickering, our country feels more divided now than it did before...

Today we celebrate one of my favorite days in the church year – All Saints Sunday. This is also one of the oldest festivals in our calendar meaning that for more than a millennia, Christians have gathered together at the beginning of November to remember all the saints that have gone before us. And we all know names of saints that the church remembers – their names adorn cities and hospitals and congregations. We read about them in the Bible or church histories. So to kick off this remembrance, I would invite you to shout out some of the names of saints that you know...

“He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on the account of the crowd he could not.” (Luke 19:3) It sounds like this weekend in Wrigleyville! People want to see the Cubs. They’ll pay hundreds of dollars to sit in a bar nearby; two-, four-, six-, eight- thousand-dollars to get in the stadium; and fifteen-, twenty-, thirty-thousand-dollars or more to sit in a dugout seat...

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Finally! Thank you, Jesus! No, I’m not talking about the Cubs, though that is worthy of celebration in its own right...