Tag Archives: Advent

Does Anybody Know The Meaning of Christmas?

Life offers many questions. When it comes to curiosity in the physical world, we turn to science for answers. When we think about life’s big questions, we turn to philosophy. Religion seeks to answer spiritual questions that impact this life. Faith, … Continue reading

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Walking in the Darkness

The other day I was up until midnight, only to discover that it was only 6:00 p.m. I don’t like how the darkness takes over at such an early time. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the … Continue reading

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Hope Gives Us Purpose

[This sermon was given at Avenue United Methodist Church on December 20, 2020. You can listen to the sermon here and watch on our Youtube Channel.] In 2004, I led a mission trip to Paraguay, where we had the opportunity … Continue reading

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COVID, Advent, and Hope

As I sit down to type out this post, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are said to be made available in Delaware (where I live) and throughout The United States. Over the last nine months, the COVID-19 pandemic … Continue reading

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Hope for the Broken

[Sermon preached December 13, 2020 at Avenue United Methodist Church. You can listen to the sermon on our website or watch on Youtube.] One Christmas in the mid-1980’s, my parents got my sister and I a cardboard space shuttle. My … Continue reading

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Hope in the Darkness

When I was the youth pastor here at Avenue in the early 2000’s I had the privilege of leading a mission trip to Jellico, Tennessee for a week of home repair. We worked hard during the week and ended the … Continue reading

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Hope Keeps Us Awake

[Sermon preached on November 29th, 2020 at Avenue United Methodist Church. First sermon in our series, “A Thrill of Hope.”] Our family stayed home on Thanksgiving and while we missed seeing our extended family, we had a lot fun together … Continue reading

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Advent and The Clone Wars

Sunday is the beginning of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the year of the Christian calendar. Where the world sees Advent as a countdown to Christmas the Church sees Advent, as Fleming Rutledge writes as “a seas of the … Continue reading

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Advent: The Christ Candle

*A week or so late, but I wanted to post.* Over the past four weeks, we have been in the season of Advent. Advent is not a countdown to Christmas, but a season of waiting, expectation, and self-examination as we … Continue reading

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Fourth Sunday of Advent: Peace

Through our Advent Journey, we have practiced a rhythm of watching and waiting by looking at God’s faithfulness, God’s love, and the joy that God brings us. This morning we light the fourth candle, the Candle of Peace. Our scripture … Continue reading

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