Advent 23: Like sheep.

Two days til Christmas and the mall was congested all the time. Now that school was out, kids were with their parents.  Many were “stabled” in the play place. From time to time, a kid would stand up and look around. An adult would speak a name. The kid would turn toward the voice, get […]

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Advent 22: Looking for Jesus.

Three days before Christmas and everyone is stuck. Not everyone, but those of us who want to get the perfect gift and yet have no idea who the person really is. So you guess. Maybe they will like this. Maybe they are interested in that. I asked John. “You get to know them,” he said. […]

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Advent 21: Saint John and the brothers.

There were four shopping days until Christmas. Anticipation was building at the mall. And it wasn’t the good kind. As soon as the mall opened at 8, there were people moving through the halls with an intensity fueled by coffee and the office white elephant gift competition. And in the late evening, when Nancy and […]

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Advent 20: Not like a normal king

“Second question: why did Jesus avoid being made king by the crowd? Isn’t that what he came for?” Saint John of the Mall leaned forward. “That’s a good question, and fairly simple to answer. They wanted to make Jesus king by force. They wanted to make him king rather than coming under his kingship and […]

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Advent 18: Breaking Bread with Saint John

Nancy and I needed to do some Christmas shopping. We decided to head to the food court at the mall for supper and then shop. There’s a new Thai place, so we shared a plate with two entrees and rice. “You eat like you haven’t had anything for a couple days,” said the person at […]

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