The final downfall of Babylon the Great is spread across numerous chapters of the Revelation of John.  This is fitting because Babylon has been the metaphorical and literal enemy of God’s people for hundreds of years.  Babylon was the source of the greatest exile the Kingdom of Judah ever knew.  When it swept in and conquered an area, it not only defeated their military, it deported the brightest and the best of its people, absorbing

Haggai reminds us that all success and failure, wealth and poverty, rise and decline is God’s.  It is not a universal fact that if we gain wealth it is because we have pleased God, nor if we lose wealth is it a sign that God is angry with us.  For far too many millennia people have taken success, theirs or that of others, as a sign of God’s favor, but defined success apart from God’s

Well, it’s here.  Christmas Day is here.  It’s a day of stables and mangers, of shepherds and angels, of carols and celebration.  On the actual Christmas Day, there was no celebration of Jesus’ birth.  There was little food, no presents (no, the wise men didn’t come until later), and no decorations.  But we’ve been making up for it ever since!  Our celebration today is just a small part of the full party that God has

Well, it’s here.  Christmas Day is here.  It’s a day of stables and mangers, of shepherds and angels, of carols and celebration.  On the actual Christmas Day, there was no celebration of Jesus’ birth.  There was little food, no presents (no, the wise men didn’t come until later), and no decorations.  But we’ve been making up for it ever since!  Our celebration today is just a small part of the full party that God has

The decorations are up, the tree is fully trimmed, the presents are wrapped and the family is gathered.  Everything is ready and we all kind of mill around, not doing anything in particular because we are anticipating all that is to come.  For the Larson family that means a worship service with our friends at LCC, then our annual Christmas Eve fondue followed by unwrapping the gifts from each other and the California family.  Then