‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the land The people were stooped under Rome’s mighty hand; They clung to the hope their oppression would end As they looked for a king they believed God would send. They read in their books what the prophets foretold: A Messiah would save them, as promised ofContinue reading “Rob Grayson: The night before Christmas revisited”
Category Archives: Christmastide
Homily for Christmas I: “Banish all thoughts of peaceful Christmas scenes”
“Banish all thoughts of peaceful Christmas scenes” A sermon for first Sunday in Christmas 2013 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod isContinue reading “Homily for Christmas I: “Banish all thoughts of peaceful Christmas scenes””
The Sentimentality that Blinds Us
A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more. – Matthew 2:18 Churches and Christians in the U.S., by and large, focus on all the wrong battles. In our relative prosperity and ease, we are concerned about minor irritationsContinue reading “The Sentimentality that Blinds Us”
From Pope Francis’ Christmas Message
Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is born the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us not fear this. Let us not fear that our hearts be moved. We need this! Let usContinue reading “From Pope Francis’ Christmas Message”
iMonk Classic: On Another Shore, In a Greater Light
A Classic Michael Spencer Post From Christmas 2008 My favorite piece of liturgy in the world is a sentence in the opening section of the Traditional Service of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast round the world on the BBC. Why is it so moving? Because it is beautiful and true. Each year, as more andContinue reading “iMonk Classic: On Another Shore, In a Greater Light”
Merry Christmas from Internet Monk
Merry Christmas
iMonk reader Christiane mentioned a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Return Of The King yesterday. To me, this is the crux of Tolkien’s wonderful trilogy. Frodo and Samwise were within reach of the destination, yet it was in the shadow of Mt. Doom. All could still be lost. Still, in their darkest hour, there was light.Continue reading “Merry Christmas”
When Jesus Grows Up
“Finding [Jesus], of course, will normally involve a surprise. Jesus doesn’t do or say what Mary and Joseph…were expecting. It will be like that with us too. Every time we relax and think we’ve really understood him, he will be up ahead, or perhaps staying behind while we go on without thinking. Discipleship always involvesContinue reading “When Jesus Grows Up”
Snow!
We could see close to a foot and a half of snow here in central Indiana today — a rare event. I am heartily in favor.
A Blessed Christmas to You from Internet Monk
The Internet Monk Archives 