The house is empty, again. It is so fascinating to me how the brick and mortar seems to expand and contract as family and friends come and go. When they are all here, the house is somehow bigger, and when they leave the house settles cozily around the two of us once again. Our hearts are still full, nonetheless, as we hold onto the treasures of fellowship and the breaking of bread together. We will enjoy the richness of the preceding days for weeks to come and carry the fragrance of them into the New Year. On that night, long ago, there was an expanding of another house, when the…

We are not still waiting for the Messiah. But, it does us good to remember there was a time in the history of mankind when we were. In this season of Advent, we have looked earnestly into the past to see how the world watched and prepared for the long awaited birth of Christ. There were a few who recognized Him when He came, and it was because the Holy Spirit had prepared their hearts for His coming. Hope-filled longing had made room, had carved a place, only He could fill. How would we know we needed Him, if we did not fully embrace the reality of the lack of…

There are many, many things in this life worth waiting for. And, if you’ve been with me long, you will have known me to remark upon the exquisite luxury of anticipation. Expecting what will surely come has a way of making room for what is coming. The obvious example is a woman’s pregnancy. The months of waiting, wondering and hoping are part of the process of making room for the new little person. There is a mysterious beauty in the long awaited. The Israelites were in deep longing during the four hundred years of silence. The generations came and went, and in all that time they were faithful to keep,…