It’s Time Again: Depression and the Holidays (Isaiah 64:1-9)

November 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

By Barbara Lundblad.Depression hits Americans hard during the holidays. What time is it? Don’t check your watch. This is something else all together. We know it will soon be the end of November and the end of Thanksgiving weekend. In the Christian calendar, it’s the beginning of Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. For many people, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a tough time to get through. There are too many reminders of loss:the empty chair at the Tha … [Read more...]

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Luke 2:1-20 – The “Real” War on Christmas?

December 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

By Eric BarrettoOur culture today is full of laments about the Christmas holiday.Some bemoan the ever earlier advent of the season. Doesn’t it seem that Christmas decorations line the aisles of stores earlier and earlier every year? Doesn’t it seem that Christmas songs are piped into elevators earlier and earlier every year? Doesn’t it seem as if all the fall holidays are melding into one long anticipation of Christmas? Before long, we might wonder if Labor Day will one day mark the end o … [Read more...]

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Luke 1:39-56: Magnificat for a Broken World

December 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

By Carolyn SharpI left St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in New Haven with a soaring spirit. The Lessons & Carols service—quintessentially Anglican worship interweaving Scripture and music—had just concluded. Particularly memorable had been a haunting setting by Roderick Williams of one of the seven Greater Antiphons of Advent: “O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel” (“O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel”). This stunning piece has a dark edginess that beautifully captures what waiting for God … [Read more...]

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