Preachrblog

Last week we saw John the Baptist at the peak of his ministry – baptizing crowds and calling out Pharisees. Today, we read a bit further in Matthew's Gospel, and John's in a much different place. Prison, in fact. He had criticized King Herod, who had taken his brother's wife, and didn't take kindly to John's finger-pointing. John's hopes for release were slim. And we all know what John's fate would soon be – beheaded at a grizzly birthday party for the king. In the valley of the shadow of death – John sends his followers to ask Jesus, “are you the one, or shall we look for another?”    Today, we light that pink candle in our Advent wreath. It's often called the “shepherds candle” or the candle of Joy. This season of preparation evokes in us many and varied responses – and joy should be one of them. For like the shepherds who first heard the news of Christ's birth, we too believe he is the one who is to come. The Savior who brings peace on earth and G...

  Imagine a large tree, towering up high, with a thick trunk and many branches.  Mightier than the other trees in the forest, full of fruit and home to all sorts of woodland creatures.   Maybe it’s  a landmark in a nd of itself, “you know, down by the big oak tree ”.   It seems like  it’s  been there forever.  It seems like it will be there forever.   But then one day, you  look  and  it’s  just gone .   Like a void in  the space , the whole scenery is changed .   Someone has come along and chopped down this mammoth .   And all that  remains  is a sad, lonely stump .   What a loss .   What  a tragedy .   What a symbol of despair.   That’s  the picture Isaiah begins with in his Advent prophecy .   Only the tree was a grand metaphor for something else .   It was a picture of the line of David, the Davidic dynast...