A whirlwind trip to MN for a few bookstore events, and I am reminded how lucky I am to have such a great family and truly wonderful friends. Besides meeting some new people, interested for a variety of intriguing ways in Bible Babel, I got to catch up with friends and family that I haven’t …
Out of the heaps of snow we’ve been getting lately, someone in my neighborhood has fashioned a great big Cupid in her front yard…or is it a cherub? Shoot, is Cupid himself some kind of cherub? I stood contemplating those questions for a minute or so until my dog started snuffling about at the smooshed …
I love the movie Groundhog Day. It’s such a great story about redemption, and I for one, an accomplished bumbler, would love a few do-overs to get things right. Besides, the film’s hilarious. I might have guessed that it would have some sort of religious theme to it, but until recently, I didn’t imagine that …
The Christmas story, whatever one does or does not believe, is a story of reversals. It’s a story of tipping things over to set things right. Yet it all seems so familiar that we forget how much it requires wild imagination. The starring actors a poor family, the grand setting a tiny backwater town, heavenly angels …
Wonder and awe, wise men and shepherds, and the angels say, “Fear not.” These are the days of extraordinary happenings, and in their very marvelousness, unnerving. The angels say, as biblical angels do, “Fear not,” even while they dazzle and disturb. These are also the days, in pop culture, of vampires — terrifying and dangerous. They, too, go …
In this time of glad tidings, there’s also no small amount hand-wringing on the one, er, hand, and disdain on the other. While some cry for a return of a Christ-centered to Christmas, others say “hey, it’s not our holiday, so buzz off.” Brit Robin Parry calls for a distinction between Advent and “Mad-spent,” Christmas and “Wintermas” in his Christ-out-of-Christmas post, which finally is shares …
I’m sitting in a cafe on 58th and Broadway, far from home. So far from home,… and yet. It’s Christmas time in New York, and I’m here for a quick turn-around visit, counted in hours. Breakfast this morning at a little scandinavian cafe. nothing fancy, but good good good. It brings to mind the picture-perfect holidays …
As my dear friend and colleague Jack Spiro says of this and other Jewish holidays, “They tried to kill us. We survived. Now, let’s eat!” Good wishes to Jewish friends and family celebrating this Festival of Lights! Latkes for all. You may enjoy this column by Ben Romer, a Richmond-area rabbi — a thoughtful meditation on the season. Did …
Nazareth or Bethlehem? Of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke have infancy stories. They agree that angel announced Mary’s conception, and they agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. They disagree on a number of other things, though, among them: at the time of conception, Matthew situates Jesus’ family in Bethlehem. …
Tis the season. Our local Tacky Christmas Lights Tour is gearing up for some big nights, and I can smell wood fires burning in the ‘hood when I walk my dog at dusk. Tis the season for lights garish and warm, subtle and… well, not so subtle. What with the cheap cost of electricity and …
