Feast of the Incarnation

This beautiful Christmas hymn has been a favorite of mine since I was a child.

May the blessings and joys of Christ's holy incarnation be with everyone this day and always!

 
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Coming!

(Image from Wikimedia Commons)

"Kingdom people are history makers. They break through the small kingdoms of this world to an alternative and much larger world, God’s full creation. People who are still living in the false self are history stoppers. They use God and religion to protect their own status and the status quo of the world that sustains them. They are often fearful people, the nice proper folks of every age who think like everybody else thinks and who have no power to break through, or as Jesus’ opening words put it, “to change” (Mark 1: 15; Matthew 4: 17)." 

 -Richard Rohr, "Preparing for Christmas: Daily Meditations for Advent"
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The true consolation of Advent

When I was a little girl, my Sunday School teachers and church choir director made it very plain that Advent was only partly about the coming of Christmas. It was really more about Christ's second coming in glory.

Some time ago I found a blog with a posting that talks about that by referring to the Book of Revelation - also known as the Apocalypse:

Spoiler alert: if you want to know what the Apocalypse is about, I will happily summarize it for you in two words: God wins. The longer version is that no matter how mighty and oppressive earthly powers may be and no matter how dire the plight of the faithful may be, the victory is ultimately God's and those who hold fast to God and remain faithful will share in God's victory. All the rest, as they say, is commentary.

This is a book written from a pastoral perspective to people in times of persecution and affliction, a book designed to strengthen faith and give hope, a book that calls us all to repent and turn from the ways and values of the world and hold fast to God.
-- Paul

God wins. With the world (and the earth) facing such horrible calamities today, that's a good thing to know.
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