As Christmas approaches let’s take a look at one of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s most famous poems, “Christmas Bells.” The poem was written by Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863 as our nation was at war with itself during the Civil War. Longfellow struggles to believe there is any good left in the world as, “from…
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” (Isaiah 7:14) One thing our church likes to do this time of year is to have an Advent and Christmas hymn sing. In place of our opening hymn we sing a…
The third Sunday in Advent focuses on joy in an otherwise subdued and penitential season. Isaiah 35:1–2 describes a joy that bursts forth dramatically: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; [2] it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory…
“In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 33”16) As Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas during the season of Advent (which means “coming”), our focus is on repentance. We are preparing for the coming…
Ephesians 2:19, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” One of the many new realities this year has been social distancing. It has affected everything from schools to businesses to churches to stores. What is called social distancing…
One of our favorite stops each Christmas season is the Owatonna Art Center to see what they have for decorations. Here is what we found this year. The Art Center is open to the public from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
By now, hopefully, you have taken down your 2017 calendar and put up your 2018 calendar. Maybe you have marked the new calendar with important dates like birthdays, anniversaries, vacations. Or maybe this year you are taking the plunge and getting rid of the old-fashioned paper calendars and going all digital. But whatever your preference,…
Of all the things that should keep going year round, Christmas is one of them. It is the celebration of the holy birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Holy Scripture tells us who this holy Christ child is: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his…
About two years ago I started a journal, entitled “The Journal of Daily Unusual Events”, since I maintain that just about every day something unusual happens. This past week I’ve taken time to go through my journal and pick out the top ten most unusual events from the journal. Here they are in no particular…
Text: Galatians 4:4-7 – But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into…
Mirror Neurons 