I’m always intrigued by how social media is shaping the way we make and share meaning. Usually, that takes the form of thinking about how various elements of social media or the larger digital culture can help us share the good news. But from time to time it’s also fun to “look back” and imagine what our forebears would have done with social media. Last year I found “The Digital Story of the Nativity” quite fun in that regard; this year it’s “A Social Network Christmas.” Without wanting to spoil too much, I think my favorite moment was when 23 people “unfriend” Joseph for...
Matthew 2:1-4
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was...
Advent Break: Little Drummer Boy
There’s something about a cappella singing that is hard to beat, especially at Christmas. This rendition of A Little Drummer boy, by the 5-person group Pentatonix, is no exception. So amid all the shopping or sermon writing or decorating or baking or traveling, I hope you can find a few minutes to relax one of the favorite extra-biblical, yet still beautiful Christmas stories. (And if you’re a “Little Drummer Boy” fan, check out last’s year’s post on the Little Rockin’ Drummer Boy.) Notes: 1) If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the video. 2) Again thanks to...
Matthew 2:1-2
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” The moment we enter the second...
The Christmas Scale
Perhaps because I was such a reluctant student of the piano as a child (which, like so many others, I deeply regret as an adult), or perhaps because I admire such simple and beautiful videography, or perhaps because I love Christmas carols and never, ever noticed the simple scale that starts a...
Matthew 1:24-25
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. And then, all of a sudden, it’s over: Matthew’s account of the birth of our Lord. Joseph wakes up,...
Empathy…Illustrated!
Anyone who has read this blog for long knows that I’m a huge fan of Brené Brown. I love her work on the centrality of vulnerability to authentic living. So I was delighted to see on her blog that the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA for short) recently hosted Brené for a presentation and then illustrated a portion of her talk. RSA Animated Shorts are a delightful way to bring a concept or idea to life and invite us to see it differently. The portion illustrated below is about empathy. One of her key findings is that empathy – the willingness to go where someone else is living...
Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” At various points throughout Matthew’s gospel, he will quote portions of what we...
On Another’s Sorrow
One year ago today, most of us listened with shock and disbelief as we heard the news of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And then came the grief. I remember vividly that once the news sank in I was nearly overwhelmed with this profound sense of sadness. Having just earlier dropped my kids at school and on my way home after running some errands, I had to pull over until I could calm down enough to drive again. Over and over again, I kept thinking that is was so many children. How could this possibly happen? In the days and weeks to come, similar outpourings of grief and sympathy flooded Newtown from...
Matthew 1:20-21
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save...