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Category Archives: Advent
Awake: Advent Word 7
Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” was first performed on November 25, 1731, the 27th Sunday after Trinity. Based on the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13), this message of stunning cantata is central to … Continue reading
Posted in Advent, Advent Word, Bach, music
Tagged #AdventWord, Advent, Advent Word, awake, Bach
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Watch: Advent Word 6
Words are my lifeblood, so I want to understand them deeply and fully–to know them and to own them. Thus, I frequently consult the Online Etymology Dictionary, a favorite site for enriching my store of words as I explore their … Continue reading
Posted in Advent, Advent Word, church, etymology, language, religion
Tagged Advent, Advent Word, etymology, King James vesion, watch
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Grace: Advent Word 5
I delight in volubility and could write thousands of words on the idea of grace, so antithetical to American culture beginning with our Puritan forefathers and continuing right through the rugged individuals of the frontier. However, I also delight in … Continue reading
Posted in Advent, Advent Word, catechism, grace
Tagged #AdventWord, Advent, Advent Word, Book of Common Prayer, catechism, grace, sacraments
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Peace: Advent Word 4
Give Peace a Chance? Most Advent meditations have no need of a trigger warning, but here goes: If you’re expecting warm fuzzies, you should make a peace sign and hum a few bars of “Kumbaya.” My thoughts as I pondered … Continue reading
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Tagged Advent, First Amendment, peace, religion
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Presence: Advent Word 3
In an argument that has informed my efforts to understand God ever since I first read it, Walter T. Stace wrote, “Either God is a mystery, or he is nothing at all.” However, it seems that some of the attributes … Continue reading
Posted in Advent, Bible, church, God, Jesus, religion
Tagged #AdventWord, Advent, omnipresence, presence, religion
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Walk Together—and Teach: Advent Words 1, 2, and 3
Brief reflections on my own 26 Advents I first experienced the Anglican liturgy and its repository, the Book of Common Prayer—where I found a home for my rootless soul—on the first Sunday of Advent 1996. Can there be a more … Continue reading
Teach Me How to Live: Two Advent Lessons
Note: I began this meditation on November 28, the first Sunday of Advent. Some of the frenzy described herein actually prevented me from finishing it until a full week and another day of relative rest later. Given that context, it … Continue reading