In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entireRoman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor ofSyria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem thetown of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there t...  Read More

“Jesus said, I am the light of the world; ‘he who follows me will notwalk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ ” - John 8:12This first candle reminds us of the light of HOPE of the prophets.The second candle reminds us of the light of PEACE in Christ Jesus.The third candle is a symbol of the great light and JOY which surrounded theshepherds at the announcement of Jesus’ birth....  Read More

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,because he has come to his people and redeemed them.He has raised up a horn of salvation for usin the house of his servant David.- Luke 1:67-69 Elizabeth, who had been long barren, was miraculously carrying a child. Thisstory, for the first readers of Luke, could be seen as one of hope for...  Read More

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighborsand relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name himafter his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said,“No! He is to be called John.”They said to her, “There is no one among your relativ...  Read More

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where sheentered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voiceshe exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear!Luke 1:39-42Anna: The Prophetess whose life was hope...  Read More

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1: 34-35 Mary’s statement that she hadn’t been with a man gives an opportunity forsomething spectacular to happen.Back in Jeremiah 22:30, the prophet placed a curse o...  Read More

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;His kingdom will never end.Luke 1: 32-33 In this world that we live in, the swirling winds of change blow all around us.The concept of permanence is a distant thought, maybe even a dream for some.A familiar phrase is attributed to...  Read More

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But ...  Read More

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born...  Read More

“Jesus said, I am the light of the world; ‘he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ ” - John 8:12 This first candle reminds us of the light of HOPE of the prophets. The second candle reminds us of the light of PEACE in Christ Jesus. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Romans 5:1 “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised ...  Read More

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Mark 1:1-3 The theme of preparing the way aligns with the advent season which is a time of waiting and preparing for ...  Read More

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1 When my husband and I were first married in the early 80s, there were no cell phones, nor email, nor social media platforms. When he was deployed with the U.S. Army, we relied ...  Read More