Dear Partner in Preaching, I am going to share brief reflections on both the Luke text we often hear on Christmas Eve and the John text that is usually appointed for Christmas Day. Actually, though, it’s not two reflections but rather one thing that struck me as present in both gospels. And, for what it’s worth, it’s the one thing I need to hear as we approach this Christmas, so I hope it is helpful to you as you lean toward preaching either the Christmas Eve or Day readings or, perchance, both. I’ll start with a confession: for some reason, the world seems a little darker this year. It might be the pall that seems to have hung over...

So maybe I shouldn’t describe this Christmas carol as “unlikely” in that Bruce Cockburn has explored the Christian story and theology, along with issues of human rights, throughout his forty-year career. But it may very well be unfamiliar to you. If so, you’re in for a treat, as the Canadian folk and rock guitarist, singer-songwriter’s beautiful retelling of the Christmas story blends elements of both Luke’s tender narrative of the in-breaking good news of God to the least likely of recipients – a teenage girl, her confused fiancee, down-and-out shepherds – with Matthew’s starkly...

A lot of us have moved in recent years to giving friends and family – and even our kids – the “good gift” of making a charitable contributions in someone’s name, honoring them by choosing not to give them one more thing that they may or may not need but instead making a donation that will help to change someone’s life. Not surprisingly, a lot of charitable giving happens in December, both in response to the Christmas spirit as well as in recognition that we are closing in on the end of another tax year! If you are anything like me, you may not only make such gifts, but also want to make sure you are giving to charities that use...

I will admit that I am an avid, even devoted, fan of Serial, the new podcast produced by the folks of another of my favorite podcasts, This American Life. But while I’ve listened to it raptly for the last eleven weeks and eagerly await the conclusion to be dropped tomorrow, in the last week or so I’ve also become a bit ambivalent…about both the podcast itself and my devotion to it. A little background may help. Serial is a new podcast that this fall has told – really, is still telling as the conclusion is tomorrow – one story over twelve weeks. One true story, actually. It is the podcast/radio version of a Ken Burns documentary...

I mentioned David Brooks’ short TED Talk last week when inviting us to avoid confusing titles with accomplishments, so I thought I would share it today. Brooks’ point is that there are two competing dimensions of our selves, one that seeks to build a career and strives for success – the kinds of things that look good on a resume – and one that seeks connection and love and wants to contribute to the common good – the kind of things that contribute to a good eulogy. It’s a reflective talk that reminds me a bit of a commencement address that that I think we can benefit from at any point of our lives. Note:...