Sirach 24:1-12 John 1:1-18

I cannot tell you
how the light comes.

What I know
is that it is more ancient
than imagining.

That it travels
across an astounding expanse
to reach us.

That it loves
searching out
what is hidden
what is lost
what is forgotten
or in peril
or in pain.

That it has a fondness
for the body
for finding its way
toward flesh
for tracing the edges
of form
for shining forth
through the eye,
the

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Deuteronomy 28:12a
Matthew 2:1-12

The amazing thing about Matthew’s version of the Nativity Story isn’t so much that he introduces three magi or kings or wise men, who travel hundreds of miles to bring precious gifts to the Messiah. No, the amazing thing about Matthew’s telling of this tale is that these kings or magi or wise men travel these long miles, hoping to find the Messiah and what do they discover at the end of their journey? A tiny

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Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Luke 1:26-38

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

That, of course, is the “Hail Mary;” the prayer, not the football pass! And, since I did actually go to Mater Christi (Mother of Christ) Catholic School in 2nd grade, there was a

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Isaiah 64:1-9
Mark 13:24-37

What if this were your last day on earth? Really. I don’t mean to be depressing, but seriously, if you only had one more day to live, what would you do with it? Connect with loved ones? Right a wrong? Pray? Make a great meal? Draft a manifesto?

Take a moment and think about it: One day, twenty-four hours…

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So, what came to mind? I imagine it’s different for each of us. But I think

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Rev. Ellen Jennings

Psalm 100
2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Last week I preached about the “full plate” phenomenon and how many of us (well, moi) suffer under the delusion that we can walk around with a very full and carefully balanced plate, without it ever crashing to the floor. So we continue to pile more and more things on it—commitments and “shoulds” and “to dos” and really important “musts”—until, suddenly, there’s no room and no way we can continue carrying the

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