“Rise! Shine! For the light is a-comin’!“My Lord says he’s comin’ by and by.” The words of the African American spiritual speak to the central theme of Advent and especially to this first Sunday. It is a firm declaration to “cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,” for as…

There’s an interesting quote—from an unexpected source—that applies to this First Day of Advent, from a book you may have read to your children or grandchildren, or that you may remember from your own childhood. The book is by Dr. Seuss, and is entitled, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The quote to…

Lo, He comes with clouds descending… are the opening words of a well-known Advent hymn that will be sung in many churches today. Another hymn many will sing is O, Come, O, Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. The two hymns are bookends for this First Sunday of Advent, one celebrating the coming of Jesus…

One of my favorite movies, one based on an equally wonderful play is Camelot, starring Richard Harris as King Arthur. It is the story of the Knights of the Round Table. It is the story of peace, joy, love, prosperity that once filled the land of England. But is it also the story of how…

So here we are at Advent again. Advent, the beginning of the Christian year, and the time when we wait and prepare for the coming of the Son of God. Advent is one of those “iffy” times … one of the seasons of the church year when we become most conscious of TIME itself. And…

This is the first Sunday of Advent, and while the secular world around us trivializes the coming birth of our Savior with garish displays of commercialism, we Anglicans have a time-honored tradition of taking Advent seriously. As we await the birth of hope, Anglican preaching for the four Sundays of Advent has focused in turn…