As I was growing up,

every Thanksgiving and Christmas

                        my extended family on my mother’s side

       would gather at my great uncle and aunt’s house for a feast….

Whenever I hear of the person “Moses,” one of several images immediately comes to mind:

 The first is the image of baby Moses floating in a basket amongst the bullrushes….

Today’s readings are full of life . . . that is to say - they are real. 

They are full of faith
and full of doubt.

 They are full of the struggle we know as life…
and our accompanying vulnerability….

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit… was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”  (Luke 4:1)

This period of 40 days for Jesus fell between the time of his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry….

On this Ash Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journeys, we hear, as we do every year, about prayer and fasting, self-examination and repentance, and meditating on God’s holy Word.

All of these things are well and good, but the key question is:
            to what end?…

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a great cloud?
            Or if not,
in the middle of a dense, dense fog…
     perhaps up on top of one of these beautiful mountains?

What was it like?….

“Love your enemies,

            do good to those who hate you,

                        bless those who curse you,

       pray for those who abuse you….

After reading today’s lections these 3 questions popped into my head:

 In what do we trust?

            Who do we trust?

       Where do we find life?…

“When they had brought their boats to shore,
they left everything and followed him.”

 Sounds like all of the stories of calling in Scripture, right….?

I am struggling. 

I think most of us, if not all of us, are struggling.

 Some of us are struggling with our bodies:
           with unrelenting pain,
                        or new diagnoses, 
or diseases that are chronic…
that we learn how to manage as best we can,
            and we are grateful for times of relief….

In today’s gospel story we hear that:
“Jesus,
filled with the power of the Spirit,   
                                 returned to Galilee.”

 Where had he been?

Are you a glass half-full
or a glass half-empty kind of person…?

Today we gather to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord…
         and our own baptisms alongside that of Jesus.

As today’s Gospel begins,
we hear that “the people were filled with expectation….”

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
           and the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you!

When I was growing up our diocesan cathedral held a service called,
“The Feast of Lights,”
      which celebrated Epiphany and the arrival of the three kings.  

Does anyone remember Advent calendars? 

I looked for one this year but could not find one…
granted I didn’t look that hard!

Today the voice of John the Baptist still echoes from the walls… 

            “You brood of vipers!

       Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

            Get over yourselves and let go of your arrogance.

      Even as we speak, the ax is lying at the root of the trees.

            Time is short: bear fruits worthy of repentance….”

For what do you hope?        
            For what do you hope?

 Today is the first day of Advent.

            It is a season of waiting.

 It is a season of preparation and anticipation:
            for birth…
   and for re-birth….

Have you even been in a conversation in which you were merrily talking along, and then the other person said something that made you realize that you weren’t really talking about the same thing at all? …

“As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ 

Jesus, not known for beating around the bush, responds in short:
“All will be thrown down….”

As Christians, what is our purpose? 

How do we live our lives in faithfulness to God?

…as followers of Jesus?