Arise, Hope

The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. -Vladimir Nabakov[i]     Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home,— Lead thou me on! […]

Between Joy and Hope | A Christmas Reflection

TRANSCRIPT Our family loves watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, the 1965 animated special (we don’t care much for the more modern sequel).  It’s odd that something as seemingly frivolous as a cartoon can plumb the depths of Christmas. In the special, Charlie Brown is frustrated because his friends are putting on a Christmas pageant that […]

The Paradox of Christmas | Advent Devotional 3

New Advent Imange

Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place […]

Still the One? | Advent Devotional 2

New Advent Imange

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:2-3 On this Sunday of Advent, churches around the world will read John the Baptist’s plaintive question: “Are […]

The Immortality of Hope

Though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill. That is a line from There Can be Miracles, a song from the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Those words seem worth dwelling on given the news of the past few weeks. The Prince of Egypt is an adaptation of the Bible’s recounting of God liberating […]