I loved writing Wearing God in part because it allowed me to rove around archives from more or less every century of the Christian past. The biblical images for God that most (American?) churches today largely ignore were decidedly not ignored in earlier eras.
Advent | First Sunday of Advent (Year A)
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
What comes first—your actions or your beliefs? Here's Paul's answer: neither one. What comes first is the love of God.
The Nonviolent God, by J. Denny Weaver
J. Denny Weaver is steadfast in his conviction that any conception of God found in the Bible must first be compared to the person of Christ himself.
I entered parish ministry with a fair amount of idealism, particularly liturgical idealism. Inconveniently, the liturgical proclivities I picked up in seminary were not especially popular with my first congregation. This became clear as a sleigh bell during our first Advent season together.
My family went over the top with Christmas gifts when I was young. But because of Advent, I knew this wasn't what I was waiting for.