The story of Mary is one that we know well. A young woman engaged to be married has an encounter with an angel who tells her that a true miracle is happening within and around her. Mary asks questions but it is clear from Luke’s telling that she is a woman of faith. Mary isContinue reading “Interactions of Faith”
Author Archives: Daniel M Harding
The Quiet
The Quiet Zechariah has been visited by the angel. Elizabeth is expecting a child. For everyone else though it must seem like everything is still normal. The Judean countryside is still occupied by Roman soldiers. Herod is still working on the Temple, and it’s costing more every month. Food demand and supply seems the same.Continue reading “The Quiet”
Living Out Hope
Elizabeth is over the moon when she finds out that she is expecting a child. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedyContinue reading “Living Out Hope”
Not Now Please
Starting today we will begin to look at the characters that begin to make an appearance prior, and during the first few years of Jesus’ life. as we approach our celebration of his birth. It is my prayer that the reality of each of these individuals will cause us to remember that it is theContinue reading “Not Now Please”
Let’s Sing A Story
One of the absolute joys of Christmas, even when I’m being Scroogey, is the music. Christmas carols are so rich in the truths they convey that they can lead us to think deeply of Gods presence and love. To fully get a picture of the carol writer’s understanding it helps if we sing more thanContinue reading “Let’s Sing A Story”
Time Marches On | God Is Present
Matthew and Luke include Jesus family history in their opening chapters. They are different and give us a clue as to the approach and focus of each of the authors. They are long. 77 generations are mentioned in Luke and 42 are given in Matthew. When I graduated from high school Tracy Lawrence was fillingContinue reading “Time Marches On | God Is Present”
A Regular Day
It’s Christmastime and surely it seems that everyone is doing something. At the very least, most appear to be doing something more than you are currently doing. And, they are all smiling in the pictures that they are sharing of all their events. As we move forward and begin to look at some of theContinue reading “A Regular Day”
A Welcoming People
To truly embrace the idea of Expectation we let’s think for a few moments on hospitality and welcoming others. When our church hosted the Bethlehem Live for so many years we always included the part where Joseph and Mary are shown to a stable. Exclusion stings. I’ve often wondered exactly what that meant for Jesus’Continue reading “A Welcoming People”
People of Light
To fully learn about expectation, we must find ourselves going back to the garden. Down under the tree, that surely bordered the river, and there we find quite a group. First we see Adam and Eve disgusted with themselves. Disgusted with the tempter. Ultimately disgusted with God, for if we’ve learned anything on this earthContinue reading “People of Light”
Expectation over Perfection
Perfection! Ah the glorious thought. The Perfect Tree. The Perfect Gift. The Perfect Movie. The Perfect Store. The above are just a few of the things that we say and think around Christmas. Less often said, but certainly in the forefront of many of our minds is whether or not we will be The PerfectContinue reading “Expectation over Perfection”
Seek Understanding 