Lisa Harmon

December 21: The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today’s passageis not about Mary.We hear prophecy in Isaiahand we hear its fulfilment in Matthew.The young woman, the virgin,shall conceive and bear a son.They shall call or name himEmmanuel:God is with us.Pay attention to the rest of our music today.All of it,from the procession onwardis really helping us focuswhere today’s gospel text is.As usual, it’s […]

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December 14: The Third Sunday of Advent

It’s hard to wait.It’s always been difficult for us,us whose lives are like the grass,to wait –especially to wait for the Lord.Throughout Scripturewe have stories of peoplewho got impatient.In frustrationMoses strikes a rock twiceinstead of speaking to itbecause he’s grown impatientwith God and the Israelites.Abraham doesn’t wait for Godand has a child with Hagar.Sarah laughs

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November 30: The First Sunday of Advent

The end is the beginning.That’s what our texts today,our texts all season,are about.Advent doesn’t mean“Countdown.”It means beginning,as in the beginningof God’s reign made manifest.Jesus has been talking to the disciplesa lot more explicitlyabout the end of daysjust before this passage we hearfrom Matthew 24.Jesus talks now abouthow no one knows the day nor the hourthat

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