Church of the Advent of Christ the King

I spent a good deal of my childhood wondering if I was really a Christian.

Deacon Rebekah Hays Estera: "But I'm going to tell you a secret. I am a Christmas Christian. I am a Christmas Christian preaching during Holy Week."

I love liturgy. What I love about it is that there is something for everyone.

The stories of our spiritual ancestors are rife with Resurrection.

Have you ever had your words twisted and then used against you? In Christ, God has. Have you ever been abandoned by your friends? In Christ, God knows how that feels.

I have a confession to make.

He was as good as dead.

It is human nature to get excited about what is wrong instead of what is right.

I will never forget the night I was "born again."

No one can be baptized a Roman Catholic, a Presbyterian, Baptist, or an Episcopalian. We are baptized as Christians within certain traditions. Those traditions are meant to bring about our spiritual transformation not used as some set of regulations to keep the devil away or correct other people’s mistakes.

We were baptized. We experience our own wildernesses where our trust in God is tested. We die on our crosses, giving up our own will. We are resurrected over and over in this life. Then we bring others into this story wherein life begins to make more sense.

Think of all the ways you have been called. Think about all of the ways you have experienced the power of God, the mercy and healing of Christ, and the inspiration and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Think about those manifestations especially if you are not feeling any of them in life right now.

The God who makes all things new is not creating a world where we must finally get everything right, but a world where there is nothing left to hide from. The God who wipes away tears, death, mourning, and pain also wipes away shame. And when we see one another the way God sees us — when we see ourselves the way God sees us — there is no hiding in the garden. There is only being fully known, and fully held.

The totality of our lives is one thing but today we celebrate something even more awesome. We celebrate the totality of life itself. The eternal Word, who existed before anything else existed, enters our reality.