Restore Us, O God

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in AdventIsaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25The readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent help me put my feelings about Christmas in perspective. It’s almost a cliché to say that the “most wonderful time of the year” is anything but for some of us. Ho hum, you may say. What makes your disenchantment with Christmas special? So what if there’s a yawning gap between the Hallmark Channel and your emotional life. Who doesn’t feel overwhelmed?…

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Looking Forward

“Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own  Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14Continuing to press on toward…

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