Monthly Archives: December 2016

Nativity by Giotto (1305) in Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.

By Kenneth Tanner The rhythms of the church year have guided my life since 1989. Marking time by the Word made flesh reorients *everything* in life and so the annual celebration of a “New Year” has, over time, decreased in … Continue reading →

By Kenneth Tanner The One who cannot be contained in Solomon’s temple (much less the expanding universe) is contained in the womb of a Palestinian-Jewish teenager. The One who is timeless and omnipotent and changeless makes himself truly vulnerable and … Continue reading →

By Kenneth Tanner When the divine community we call God created the visible (and invisible) universe they spoke words like “let there be light” and things that were not in one moment began to exist in the next. Stars. Planets. … Continue reading →

By Kenneth Tanner God takes the form of a baby because divine helplessness is greater than any other force in the universe. When on the first Christmas divine humility and powerlessness and poverty are revealed as the foundation of all … Continue reading →

“What has happened to me has been the very reverse of what appears to be the experience of most of my friends. Instead of dwindling to a point, Santa Claus has grown larger and larger in my life until he … Continue reading →

By Kenneth Tanner It must be self-evident to most people that humanity needs rescue from sin, violence, and death. A God who participates in sin, violence, and death is not other than fallen humanity but a projection of our worst … Continue reading →

By Kenneth Tanner Christmas isn’t just for Christmas anymore. The season eclipses Thanksgiving, swallows Advent whole, and comes to a sudden, grinding halt with Christmas Day. Our family celebrates Christmas old school, starting with worship on Christmas Eve. Then we … Continue reading →

The Christ Child lay on Mary’s lap, His hair was like a light. (O weary, weary were the world, But here is all aright.) The Christ Child lay on Mary’s breast, His hair was like a star. (O stern and … Continue reading →

A Christmas Meditation on the Incarnation, for a Troubled World By Hans Urs von Balthasar And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you Good News of a great joy that will come to all … Continue reading →