Author Archives: rozandmarkarnold

Advent IV: Hope from a faithful branch

It is a strange title, that goes with the fourth verse of O Come O come – at least in the first version I came across online. I think it is more usual to have ‘rod of Jesse’, but branch of Jesse’s stem has the benefit of being a clear reference to one particular OTContinue reading “Advent IV: Hope from a faithful branch”

And sometimes we wonder what to say

Sometimes, we find ourselves with little, doubting we have anything to offer, that even our prayers are too small for the needs they represent. Sometimes we may just need to shut our eyes not in prayer but in sleep and rest our bodies and minds. To lean in and trust the words of Romans 8:26.Continue reading “And sometimes we wonder what to say”

And then you

Walter Brueggemann Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth We arrange our lives as best we can,                 To keep your holiness at by,                                 With our pieties,                                                 Our doctrines,                                                 Our liturgies,                                                 Our moralities,                                                 Our secret ideologies, Safe, virtuous, settled. And then you –                 You and your dreams,                 You andContinue reading “And then you”

Fresh Cranberry Orange Squares

These are great at any time of the year but we love making them particularly at Christmas. The recipe is from a book called One Smart Cookie. Our much loved copy is falling apart, we no longer have the cover, half the pages are no longer attached but various recipes have become family favorites. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2034852.One_Smart_Cookie.Continue reading “Fresh Cranberry Orange Squares”

Prayer for the 2nd Sunday in Advent

There are many riches hidden in the Anglican prayer books. Here is a wonderful prayer set for this Sunday in Advent, that sums up what we pray the Scripture section of this blog will help you to do: BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we mayContinue reading “Prayer for the 2nd Sunday in Advent”

O Come Thou Wisdom from on High

The second verse of O come O come Emmanuel, at least in a relatively long version I found online is this: O come, O Wisdom from on high,who ordered all things mightily;to us the path of knowledge showand teach us in its ways to go.  This struck me because I’m not used to associating AdventContinue reading “O Come Thou Wisdom from on High”

How quickly we fill this season of Advent with our to do lists

Occupy our Calendars Occupy our Calendars Walter Brueggamann From Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth. Our times are in your hands:                 But we count our times for us:                        we count our days and fill them with us;                        we count our weeks and fill them with our busyness:                        weContinue reading “How quickly we fill this season of Advent with our to do lists”

Advent is like the hush in a theater just before the curtain rises. F. Buechner

“What is coming upon the world is the Light of the World. It is Christ. That is the comfort of it. The challenge of it is that it has not come yet. Only the hope for it has come, only the longing for it. In the meantime we are in the dark, and the dark,Continue reading “Advent is like the hush in a theater just before the curtain rises. F. Buechner”