Tag Archives: Christmas

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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What’s There to See

Posted on December 31, 2021 by smaxreisert

At Old South’s 2021 Christmas Eve service, the featured speaking part was “The Shepherd” from Frederick Buechner’s The Magnificent Defeat. As the Shepherd reflects on his life, realizing that he’s the kind of guy who will eat muddy bread when … Continue reading →

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The Heartbreak of Christmas 2019

Posted on December 27, 2019 by smaxreisert

At Old South, Christmas Eve has become the most unwelcome and dire of bellwethers. When I began my ministry with Old South, in 2005, I heard quite a lot about the annual Christmas Eve service. The bell choir would play … Continue reading →

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Do I Need to Write About This?

Posted on December 21, 2019 by smaxreisert

Do I Need to Write About This? That was the first thought that entered my fuzzy head when I woke up to the news that the President had been impeached. I don’t want to write about this. It’s Christmas; I’ve … 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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The Work of Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2016 by smaxreisert

By the time Christmas rolls around, most of us have probably had quite enough of Christmas. With Christmas music surrounding us in shops since well before Thanksgiving, the abundance of Christmas decorations, and our own sense of busyness of the … Continue reading →

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Remembering—For Christians

Posted on December 9, 2016 by smaxreisert

This week, as I perused the various newspapers and news sources I typically look at every morning, I wasn’t surprised to find several pleas regarding the significance of “remembering.” More specifically, we were called to “remember” Pearl Harbor Day, December … Continue reading →

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What Should Christmas Feel Like?

Posted on December 24, 2015 by smaxreisert

Maine is experiencing one of its warmest Decembers ever, perhaps the warmest ever. When we gather for our annual Old South Christmas Eve service at 7:00, the temperature will be hovering around 50. For this part of the world at … 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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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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