Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from...

W. H. Auden’s long narrative poem “For the Time Being” is subtitled “A Christmas Oratio” because it focuses on the birth of Christ. But I’ve always thought it reads better after Christmas, sometime during the long winter that stretches into February (or, if you live in Minnesota,...

Robert Frost was the first poet I really enjoyed while in school. That’s probably not surprising. Not being by nature inclined to poetry, I found that Frost’s lyricism – and his popularity – made him more accessible to me. So I, like many, many others, knew him through beloved poems...

In case you haven’t guessed yet, I love Advent and Christmas. This is, in fact, my favorite time of the year. The anticipation; the growing darkness and the warmth of our lights intended not only to hold the darkness at bay but to illumine its secrets; the planning and preparation; and all...

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the...