Wizards, Horoscopes, and Babies

So today is epiphany. (No, not apostrophe Smee.) For those of you that don't know. This is the day that we celebrate the magi finding baby Jesus. There are a lot of things I could do with this. I could talk about the number of magi, or how the gifts they bring point to the crucifixion. But, as you might have guessed form the title, today I want to talk about who the magi really were and what that means for Christians.

Christmas Eve: Manger

So it's Christmas Eve. Most of you are probably spending time with your families. Perhaps you have family that has come in from out of town and you are trying to find room in your house for them all. Maybe you will go to a Christmas Eve service where you will light candles or even have a live nativity. Whatever you do I want you to consider one last thing before you wake to open all the presents.

Advent: Scandal

It's the fourth week of Advent. This week people are getting ready for Christmas. Children are home from school (I know parents love this.) People are frantically trying to get their last minute shopping done. And in the midst of it all I think we forget the exact circumstances of the birth of Jesus. I think we forget that Jesus' birth was a scandal.

Advent: Foreigners

No this isn't a blog post about how Jesus gives us Double Vision or how we are as Cold as Ice to God. Nor do I think that I am a Jukebox Hero. OK enough with the Foreigner references. Today I want to talk about something that I think we overlook in the Christmas story. Today I want to talk about how we, like Jesus, are all foreigners.

Advent: Hope

Last time I talked about the fact that Advent is about waiting. I mentioned that just like Abram waited for a son, and Israel waited for a savior, we wait for the second coming. This week I want to talk about something that goes hand in hand with waiting. I want to talk about hope.

Advent: Waiting

So this is the first week of Advent. It always seems weird to me that churches that do not hold to the whole of the calendar still use Advent. But that is a blog for another day. Advent means coming. It is the season when we eagerly anticipate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. That means that it is a season of waiting.