Guest commentary by Aaron Neff I sat at the bedside of a longtime member of my congregation, who was not very responsive, a couple days after she began to receive hospice care. I was with her family, and we talked to her, prayed with her and read Scriptures aloud to her. In many ways, it was a familiar routine in my ministry as a pastor: helping a family keep vigil for a loved one who was preparing to make the journey from life into death. However, that time was different, because that whole week I was also keeping vigil elsewhere for a different reason. My wife was in week 41 of her pregnancy, and she and I were becoming anxious and impatient for our new baby to arrive. In one moment, I was waiting and hoping for my child to take his first breath. In another moment, I was waiting for a parishioner to take her last breath. As I moved back and forth through these experiences of waiting, I was surprised and (at first) unsettled by how similar they felt. As I sat with my feelings, my … [Read more...]

Guest commentary by Joshua Musser Gritter Silent night, holy night Mary screams, Joseph paces back and forth. “Will the baby survive?” All is calm, all is bright Barren cave, lonely and dark. He’s never delivered a baby before. Round yon virgin, mother and child She doesn’t know if she’s ready to be a mother, Savior or not. Holy infant, so tender and mild Now a crib, soon a cross. “I thirst,” he cries forth. Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace So ignoble this birth, so ugly this child. God covered in stable stench and earthen muck.   Terrifying night, lonely night. In the dirty nativity, Divine lungs breathe human dust. I’ll never forget my first Advent as a pastoral intern. I was serving in Durham, North Carolina, at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church — a church, by the way, with a bucketful of saints for congregants. On one glorious Advent Sunday it was my turn to offer the children’s message. There’s a lot of varying opinions on what … [Read more...]