The first emotion with which we associate Christmas is pure unadulterated joy. And yet . . . READ MORE
Zechariah
To Be Like Mary
For any of us, and particularly for those of us embedded in vocational ministry, living life as did Zechariah is all too common. Perhaps you know his story well. Luke 1:5 and following spell it out for us. He is a priest of the Most High God, invited to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. READ MORE
A Christmas Prayer
One of the features of any Christmas celebration is the longing many of us have to carry the spirit of Christmas into the many long days and weeks and months that follow. How often is it that we think to ourselves that we want to experience the meaning of Christmas ten days out, or twenty, READ MORE
Your King is Coming!
Five hundred and forty years before the first Easter a prophet named Zechariah captured the attention of God’s people, speaking directly into their vulnerabilities, fears and brokenness. After seventy years of exile within the high walls of a brutal empire, the Jewish people had been released to return to their ancient homeland and its capital, READ MORE
Make Way for the Kings and Queens
This time of year the headlines are full of familiar references to churches and those who claim to follow Christ. There will be stories about “pilgrims” making their way to Bethlehem, the “faithful” flocking into the Vatican, and “believers” gathering for Christmas Eve in churches aplenty. Within the musty corridors of numerous tiny churches scattered READ MORE
The Lord Remembers
The large crowd suggests that it was early afternoon, but it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is what happened to Zechariah. The supreme moment of his Levitical service had arrived. The lot had fallen his way. The Privilege was finally his. When word came that the duty was his, Zechariah no doubt saw his READ MORE