Journey to Wholeness
… Read the restWho is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
… Read the restWhen the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.
… Read the restOn the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
… Read the restNow there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
Micah 5:1-4a
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
“He shall be peace (shalom),” Micah declares to the Jews under Assyrian threat (Micah 5:4(5)).… Read the rest
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
Isaiah 35:2b
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the majestic, snow-capped mountains of Lebanon—rich in cedars and fruitful orchards—shaped the Israelite vision of the Promised Land.… Read the rest
Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly,
Isaiah 35:2a
and rejoice with joyful song.
The Hebrew word translated variously as “crocus,” “meadow saffron,” “rose,” “narcissus,” “lily,” or “flower” (chabatstseleth) is of uncertain derivation.… Read the rest
The wilderness and the parched land will exult;
Isaiah 35:1
the Arabah will rejoice and bloom.
East of Eden, the whole earth is parched and barren, thirsting for the vivifying stream of the Spirit of God.… Read the rest
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18
On Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday, halfway through Advent, God asks us, “What do you want for Christmas?”… Read the rest
Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6
Israel’s exodus from Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land of “milk and honey” epitomizes humanity’s exodus from sin into the Promised Land of transfigured holiness.… Read the rest