Do Not Be Afraid. One of the most frequent assurances in scripture is one you just heard from Matthew. Do not be afraid, it dots the old and new testaments.
Our gospel tells us of John the Baptist in his prison. He’s puzzled, maybe a little disappointed. Like many Jews, he’s expected the Messiah to be a fiery social reformer.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent and no one really celebrates it anymore. The season has been swallowed up by commercial Christmas. Yes, we come to church and note the purple vestments and sing the Advent Hymns.
There is a song by Billy Joel; called Piano Man. It is about Joel’s early life when he used to play the piano in a bar. Every night he would sing songs for the customers and in piano man, he tells their stories.
Many of us look back and feel guilty about something we said or did in the past. If only we could undo the cruel deed, we would un-say the harsh words.
This true story is from Woman’s Day Magazine. When Karen and her husband Tom found out they were going to have another baby, they wanted to prepare their three-year-old son Michael to be ready for a new sister.