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As every parent of a child or teen in our congregation already knows, parenting in the 21st century is a tremendous challenge (as well as a joy) - one of our most life-impacting opportunities (responsibilities?) (relationships?). This Sunday we'll listen to an image about the parent-child relationship from the Old Testament book of Hosea, and reflect on how it might relate to parenting, or other mentoring relationships, today.

We had one of those unexpectedly "special" Sundays last weekend, on February 1 - not something designated on the denominational calendar, but definitely decreed by our  Saturday night snowstorm, predicted to turn into our Sunday afternoon near-blizzard.

Of course, many of our congregation were homebound that day, with snow-filled driveways and blocked neighborhood streets.

Our weather hasn't been too difficult yet this December, but I'm still looking forward to "the promise" - our weather forecasters promise that by Sunday we will be having temperatures in the high 40's. We'll see if they are right!

Whatever the weather, I am looking forward to another kind of "promise" - the promise of "God with Us" that we celebrate this season and that we will receive in special ways this Sunday, December 14.

As we walk into Advent with Celebrate the Gift as our theme for this season, I want to walk through some verses from
Isaiah 11. This chapter invites us to watch for newness outside our constricted, frightened logic.

It begins: Out of the stump of Jesse..., Jesse being David’s father. David’s family and dynasty had run out in failure; no king, no future, no royal possibility, only a stump. But, says the poet, the stump will produce a shoot of new life that was not expected.