By Chaplain Mike Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. • Isaiah 7:14, NIV It’s time again for the annual “Mary” discussion. This is the one time of year when Protestants are forced to consider her as theyContinue reading “Advent IV: The Honor and Humility of Mary”
Category Archives: Christian Seasons
iMonk Classic: The Unlikely Outrage of the Gospel of Light
Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From December 20, 2006 Note from CM: This was a sermon Michael wrote for the Advent season. It was expanded from a talk he gave at soli deo on 1/19/06. “There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creatorContinue reading “iMonk Classic: The Unlikely Outrage of the Gospel of Light”
Lenny LeBlanc: Christmas Night
By Chaplain Mike Here’s a new favorite of mine that I’ve enjoyed the past couple of Christmases. From the album, Christmas Night.
More Favorite Christmas Movies
By Chaplain Mike Jeff, as usual, presented a good, well-defended list of Christmas movies yesterday. One of these days he’s going to make me do a “list” post first so that he can have the last word. Until then . . . Movies on Jeff’s List with which I agree completely . . . AContinue reading “More Favorite Christmas Movies”
The Contexts of Faith
Much Christian piety and spirituality is romantic and unreal in its positiveness. As children of the Enlightenment, we have censored and selected around the voice of darkness and disorientation, seeking to go from strength to strength, from victory to victory. But such a way not only ignores the Psalms; it is a lie in termsContinue reading “The Contexts of Faith”
Nouwen on Waiting
By Chaplain Mike For your contemplation today during this season of Advent, here are some words of profound insight from Henri Nouwen. Advent is the time when we practice the discipline of waiting. We focus our attention on the hope to come. We set our hearts on God’s not-yet-seen promises rather than our unfulfilling circumstancesContinue reading “Nouwen on Waiting”
Church Signs: Goodwill (?) toward Men
By Chaplain Mike Alert iMonk community member Austin spotted the following sign in Georgia, advertising a non-denominational church’s seasonal sermon series. Ah, ’tis the most wonderful time of the year. Peace on earth, goodwill (or ?#!%) toward men.
A Favorite Children’s Advent/Christmas Book
By Chaplain Mike My entry for a recommended Christmas book is one we read for our children when they were young. It was written by one of my favorite authors, a woman renowned in children’s literature: Madeleine L’Engle. Her award-winning book, A Wrinkle in Time, is a classic that still captures my imagination. L’Engle’s ChristmasContinue reading “A Favorite Children’s Advent/Christmas Book”
The Imagination of Faith
By Chaplain Mike What part does imagination play in faith? Can “truth” be communicated through legend, folk tales, poetry, and music? Many Christmas songs have little to do with describing detailed historical facts. Instead, they evoke images from nature, the Biblical narratives, and the cultures from which they arise to help us not only understandContinue reading “The Imagination of Faith”
Advent III: Gaudete!
By Chaplain Mike As we light the third Advent candle, we thank God for his gift of joy. This is Gaudete (Rejoicing) Sunday. In the midst of Advent’s long journey, our worship on this day calls us to lift up our eyes, focus anew on our destination, and find renewed strength and refreshment from realizingContinue reading “Advent III: Gaudete!”
The Internet Monk Archives 