Innerdriving

Christmas Eve, Year C Luke 2:1-14 (25-20) St. Matthias December 24, 2018             Merry Christmas!  Tonight, we join with millions of people around the world and celebrate.  In Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity, Christmas Eve Mass ended just as we were beginning - with Christians gathering at the place where tradition says there WAS a manger in a stable behind an inn where there was NO room.  In Rome, Pope Francis is celebrating at St. Peter’s Basilica in the largest gathering of Christians in the world.  Over 60,000 people are worshiping inside St. Peter’s while hundreds of thousands more will gather outside in the square.  Christmas Eve Mass is going on right now at Canterbury Cathedral in England and at St. George’s in the Arctic in the Diocese of Alaska.    And I found at least 6 other St. Matthias Episcopal Churches spread from Baltimore Maryland to Whittier California...

Advent 4C Luke 1:39-45 St. Matthias December 23, 2018            This week I was asked about my favorite Christmas of all time. That’s sort of like asking what’s my favorite Christmas food.  I love them all!  There was 2008 – the first Christmas after Phyllis and I were married.  Christmas 2016 – when we got to watch our granddaughter come down the stairs all excited because Santa Claus had come and found her in Birmingham, Alabama.  Lydia was really worried Santa wouldn’t know that she wasn’t at her house in Argentina.  Christmas Eve 1990 I was in Minot North Dakota and we had a blizzard for Christmas.  I love snow and understand – in North Dakota, you never canceled Church just because of snow.  Our organist skied to Christmas Eve Mass which was held at midnight with the Northern Lights blazing overhead.  There was Christmas 1965 when Santa Claus brought me the coolest bike I had...

Advent 3C Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18 December 15, 2018 St. Matthias This morning we light the 3rd candle on the Advent Wreath.  Now just in case, you were thinking that this is a pink candle, let me tell you that it is – in fact – officially Rose colored.  And if we had a whole lot of extra money with no other needs in our world to meet, we could actually go out and buy Rose Colored vestments and altar hangings for use on this 3 rd Sunday of Advent.  This is Gaudete Sunday and we have reached the midway point of Advent.  The word Gaudete is Latin and when we translate it into English then we literally celebrate today as Rejoice Sunday.   As early as the 5 th century, the Church has observed Advent as a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity on Christmas Eve.  Originally, Advent - like Lent lasted for 40 days and began in mid-November.  As early as the 7 th century, the Advent Carol Gaudete was sung in Anglican Ch...

Advent 1C Luke 21:25-36 December 2, 2018 St. Matthias            The countdown to Christmas has begun!  Only 22 more days to go.  I think I am more excited about Christmas than usual this year.  I turned on the fireplace Friday night, even though it was warm outside.  I told Alexa to play some Christmas music which I would have never done last year.  I even found a LIVE web camera from Telluride Colorado on the internet and watched it snow for a while.  This is not normal for me.  Usually, I fight the shopping. I don’t watch the way too many Christmas specials on TV.  I even put off putting up the decorations for as long as I can. It’s Advent and not yet Christmas.  We have to wait - I usually tell myself.  But this year it is different.            Part of it is that I have been thinking about my 4 sermons during Advent....