Tag Archives: Advent

Crushing My Advent Dreams

Posted on November 21, 2022 by smaxreisert

My husband and I are on a cross country (and back) adventure this fall. Last weekend, we arrived in Moab, Utah and checked into our hotel where we would stay for a couple days while we explored Arches National Park. … Continue reading →

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Advent Lessons: Companionship

Posted on December 16, 2021 by smaxreisert

This coming Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary selections include Luke 1:39-45[46-56], where Mary offers her song of praise, aka The Magnificat. The relatively short passage (even with the additional verses) provides a treasure trove of preaching options. It’s a passage focused … Continue reading →

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When Patience Isn’t Enough

Posted on December 1, 2021 by smaxreisert

I’ve started to notice, here and there, in little remarks or responses, the revealing of the idea that patience is the key to how we, as a church, will get through the pandemic. And, in that idea, the exposure of … Continue reading →

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Advent-ish

Posted on December 17, 2018 by smaxreisert

When I first started serving as Pastor and Teacher at Old South Church in Hallowell, Maine, it was only a couple of months before Advent. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when it came to Old South’s usual Advent … Continue reading →

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I Could Use a Little Hope

Posted on December 9, 2017 by smaxreisert

When I discovered that I was pregnant with my first child, my immediate sense of happiness was quickly pushed aside by consternation at my lack of forethought. If the pregnancy went as expected, I would be giving birth in December—perhaps … Continue reading →

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An Expectant People

Posted on December 16, 2016 by smaxreisert

One of my favorite parts of Advent is the annual visit with the two pregnant women, Mary and Elizabeth. Although the lectionary often curtails that section of Luke, reducing it to Mary’s Song of Praise, I always include the section … Continue reading →

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The First Word of Advent: Hope

Posted on December 2, 2016 by smaxreisert

Old South’s worship last Sunday, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, included quite a few visitors. One visitor was a young man who came to worship by himself. He stayed for coffee and fellowship, so I had a chance to chat with … Continue reading →

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What Would Mary Want?

Posted on December 11, 2015 by smaxreisert

Confession: On Sunday afternoons, when I finally have a chance to look through the Sunday New York Times, the first place I go is the “Style” section. It’s not that I’m into style, or fashion. I go there for the … Continue reading →

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Advent Lessons from the Pregnant Women

Posted on December 3, 2014 by smaxreisert

Although it’s a crazy, busy time of year, I love Advent. I love it for all of its wondrous, yet not quite realized, images of anticipation, waiting, pregnancy and birth. Christianity has never fully embraced these concepts, probably because so … Continue reading →

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The Year (Almost) Without an Advent

Posted on December 28, 2013 by smaxreisert

Like many churches in Central Maine, Old South had to cancel worship for the two Sundays before Christmas—Advent territory. For the first of those cancellations, a raging snowstorm rolled in at exactly the most inconvenient time, making travel to and … Continue reading →

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