Irreverently Reverend

  Christmas Eve Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in t...

  Advent II In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be call...

  Christmas Eve In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists.  2  This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria.  3  Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled.  4  Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea.  5  He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant.  6  While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby.  7  She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. 8  Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night.  9  The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. 10  The...

  Ordinary Time 4  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”  5  And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.”  6  And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.  7  And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”  8  And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.   (ESV)             An article in the Los Angeles Times from 2019 named the fact that “self-ca...