Is There a War on Epiphany?

Is There a War on Epiphany?

An ominous warning that a “war on Christmas” was being waged by those who wanted to remove the distinctive Christian focus of the holiday accompanied our annual holiday season not long ago. The phrase seems to have come from John Gibson 2006’s book The War on...
A Lectionary Reflection for Epiphany

A Lectionary Reflection for Epiphany

A new church year began over a month ago, but a new calendar year has just commenced. No matter how bright or dark the previous year has been, a new year brings the hope of a wide-open future. We all sense that we have a clean slate – a feeling expressed in...
Why We Need a ‘Christmas Lens’ for 2022

Why We Need a ‘Christmas Lens’ for 2022

Our traditional journey from Christmas to Epiphany and beyond features a transition from looking at decorations to looking through an incarnational lens to see everything else. I hope I don’t outgrow my enjoyment of the lights and other decorations that enhance the...
Becoming Peacemakers in Our Tit-For-Tat Violent World

Becoming Peacemakers in Our Tit-For-Tat Violent World

It was still Christmastide – a season for celebrating the birth of Christ. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we had heard words from the prophet Isaiah declaring that God’s anointed one would be the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and the reign of God would be one...
Start Off Your New Year Right with the First Psalm

Start Off Your New Year Right with the First Psalm

Open a Bible near the center, and you will find the Book of Psalms. In many ancient manuscripts, the first psalm was unnumbered, untitled and printed in red ink to indicate that it frames and prefaces the whole Psalter. Psalm 1 is both a wisdom psalm, showing us two...