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A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite. 1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. 3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 4 ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c] -Psalm 89:1-4 Dear Henri, It's now the end of Hannukah... Advent is almost over... and in mere hours Christmas... Continue reading

5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the... Continue reading

14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over... Continue reading

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a] 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of... Continue reading

The Jordan River In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”[a] 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.... Continue reading

Henri Houwen and Jean Vanier, 1987 7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you... Continue reading

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my... Continue reading

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lordyou are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,... Continue reading

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for... Continue reading

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid... Continue reading

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a]but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of... Continue reading

24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” -Luke 1:24-25 Dear Henri, I'm liking the way Okoro is gently pulling our attention towards this gift of time. I've always been skeptical of the maxim Time heals all wounds (dare I say cynical?). But I suppose like all sayings, it began with a kernal of truth in it. I'm not sure if time heals all wounds, but it... Continue reading

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge -- 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the... Continue reading

20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. -Luke 1:20-23 Dear Henri, For days... Continue reading

Alone_Mizrak_CC [a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! 3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5... Continue reading

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. -Luke 1:5-7 Dear Henri, I thought after dealing with Zechariah's doubt last week, we would kind of be moving along towards Mary and Gabriel, or census counting, or donkeys. But here... Continue reading

Psalm 40[a] For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to... Continue reading

9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that... Continue reading

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years. 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. -Luke 1:18,19 Dear Henri, So God shows up. Zechariah is just supposed to believe it? Suddenly his elderly wife is pregnant? After years and years of praying, mourning, private and communal grief and shame, this guy who's supposed to be offering a sacrifice... Continue reading

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ (Jeremiah 33:14-16) Dear Henri, This Advent is a stretch. It seems the rest of the world is already... Continue reading

10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. -Luke 1:10 Dear Henri, I've always loved Tibetan prayer flags. Bright colours snapping the wind, singing the written word high to heaven. Each flag a prayer of its own; each flag supported by the one next to it. All of them moving to the same Spirit, the same Breath, the same Wind. Zechariah is often looked upon as somewhat of a fearful Indiana Jones -- entering sacred territory without complete assurance he'll ever come out alive. Heck, the dude had a rope... Continue reading

Psalm 25: 16-21 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. 18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. Dear Henri, This isn't turning out to be the traditional prepatory Christmas advent practice, is it? I'm not sure what I... Continue reading

Lonely Nights_Vittore Buzzi_Creative Commons Dear Henri, Happy New Year. It's the first day of Advent. I haven't kept up the blog in months. In fact it's been so far down on the list I've practically forgotten about it (until my credit card bill comes in and I realize I'm paying for a platform I'm not using). There hasn't been much to say... or to muse upon... there is plenty of social commentary on the darkness in our world; plenty of 'the happiness movement' to smear the world ten times over; and simply plenty of chatter. I have, however, wanted to... Continue reading

"Roman Bridge"_David Dunford_Creative Commons When all that could be done has been done... When all paths open to us have been taken... When all options have been explored... When all bridges have been crossed... ... what do we do? It's not as if we can shut off the love we have for our family, friends and neighbors. It's not as if we are all clinicians of a sort, able to distance ourselves from people who are hurting or are in need. These people are our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, children, friends. They are us. We cannot relinquish our... Continue reading