“One quick question,” I said to my pastor. He was heading back to his lunch table with a full cup of coffee; I’d finished my lunch and was on my way out. “Oh, hi Aileen,” he said, more gracious than most would have been, having been caught between coffee and dessert. “What’s up?” “A lot. [...]
“Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! . . .At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes [...]
It used to be so easy. Sometimes I would say, “Merry Christmas!” Sometimes I would say, “Happy Holidays!” Now, I don’t know what to say. Back in the day, I often said, “Happy Holidays.” It applied to Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s, which covered most people I addressed. Now, if I say “Happy Holidays,” I [...]
(an Advent Devotion I wrote originally for Asheville’s First Presbyterian Church’s Advent Devotional booklet in 1999) I always got the back seat. The very back seat. The one in our 1972 Chrysler Station Wagon that faced oncoming traffic. My older sister and younger brother sat in the middle seat, behind Mama on the passenger side [...]