Tag: Advent
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A Christmas Sermon: Humility or Humiliation
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.…
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Daily Advent Reflections
We’re approaching the halfway point of Advent. This particular Advent season has been more hectic than typical for me, partly related to ministry and partly related to a home improvement project and a baby who is still learning to sleep. All that to say, I’ve been especially grateful to Michael for posting a daily Advent…
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Preaching After Ferguson: “I will shepherd the flock with justice.”
I’ve had a few requests asking about how our church worshipped yesterday, taking into account the non-indictment from Ferguson. Below is a lightly-edited version of my sermon. However, the most impactful part of the service were the testimonies given by eight members who told us about their responses to the news. After each person shared the church…
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We Wait
I’ve seen very few new movies this year but I suspect that even if I’d seen a bunch more I’d still think 12 Years A Slave was the year’s best. Here’s a short reflection provoked by the film that I wrote last week for our church newsletter. “Daddy, are we getting close?” I won’t even try to guess how…
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Grieving Every Slain Child
We welcomed a guest preacher at New Community this morning, so I took a few minutes before his sermon to reflect on the violence of this past week before we spent time in silence and prayer. Early on a Sunday morning in September 1953, four members of the Alabama Klu Klux Klan placed dynamite under…
David W. Swanson 