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Approaching Advent
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Illumination on Groundhog Day
Did the groundhog see his shadow today? So, should I go ahead and plant my spring garden? Or should I get some more wood for the fireplace? The midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox is February 2. Tradition says that if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, that winter could be long and cold. If he does not see his shadow, then it could be a mild rest of the winter. However, the groundhog weather prediction is only about 40% right. I wondered, and perhaps you have as well, what are some of the roots of Groundhog Day? After looking in to the matter, I…
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Man-in-Waiting
In this last week of Advent, one of the ways we learn to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the arrival of our Savior is to see how others have done so. In Luke 2:25-32 we meet Simeon as he meets Jesus. But before the Messiah is revealed, Simeon is a man-in-waiting. He has waited a very long time to see the coming of the Savior of Israel, for God to keep his promises, for hope to be fulfilled. Notice that Simeon doesn't just pass time as he waits (like we do at the airport), but he "eagerly" waits for God to send the One. There is an anticipation, an expectation.…
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Anticipating Advent
How can you not be drawn into the grateful expectation of Simeon as he realized that he held the long awaited Christ-child in his arms? Captured in the artist’s rendering is a story of culmination, of waiting, of being prepared by the Holy Spirit for this long anticipated event. Who was he? Who is Simeon and what can we learn from him in this brief passage about his life? He lived in Jerusalem and, as described in Luke 2:25-32, was a righteous and devout man – a man who cautiously and carefully observed the Jewish law and who had been waiting for the consolation of Israel; the promised Messiah,…
