“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” How often have we said these words? At this point we probably hardly even notice them. But we should. . . .

The older I get the more I realize that the world that we see is just the tiniest sliver of the world as it truly is.

Isn’t it wonderful to be around people like that — people who always want the best for everyone?

We are able to offer these things to the world, Paul says, because as followers of Jesus, we have access to a special wisdom. It is, Paul tells us, “God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which… God has revealed to us through the Spirit.”

The Greek word which is here translated as “meek” also means gentle. It describes a person who is kind, calm, and humble. These are all wonderful qualities, and they’re badly needed. . . . So, I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that, it in the end. . . it will be they— people who are kind, gentle and humble. Frankly, can’t wait. How about you?

The thing is, at the very core of Jesus’ teaching is this: that Jesus is not alone in carrying the face of God. We carry it too …if only we can see it … if only we allow it. We just have to recognize that bit of God which God planted in each of us at our birth and draw it out and make it visible.

If you suddenly found yourself face to face with Jesus and he asked you “What are you looking for?” what would you say? What are you looking for? … I mean, really, what are we looking for? If you think about it, we’re all looking for many things.

Today’s reading from Acts tells a remarkable story. Of course, the Bible is chock full of remarkable stories, but this one from Acts is less well-known. It tells of the continuing transformation of that most unpredictable of Jesus’ followers, St. Peter.

Happy New Year! You may think that the most important thing about today is that it’s the first day of a brand new year. Yes, that is important.  But according to the church calendar, even more important is the fact that today is also the Feast of the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, according to the church calendar, today we’re here to celebrate Jesus’ name.

A few Christmases ago, as you drove north along the New Jersey Turnpike, just before you hit the Lincoln Tunnel, there was a large billboard. . . On the billboard were all the traditional images of the Christmas story — the manger, the baby, Mary and Joseph, the animals, the wise men, the shepherds, the star — everything. Beside all this, though, are these words: “You know that it's a myth.”The sign was put up by the Society of American Atheists.

It can take a lot to put your trust in something as allusive as an intuition or a “gut feeling” or a dream — especially when there is a lot at stake. It’s just essential to know when we can trust them. And that takes a special kind of insight.

“The thing is,” Alexander said, “In our family there was one rule that was absolute. We all called it ‘Ceto’s rule,’ and as far as I knew, even the 10 commandments came second after Ceto’s rule. Ceto’s rule was this: every Sunday the entire family was to come to her no… matter… what. That was it. She’d say, ‘As long as I’m healthy, everybody is to come to dinner, no exceptions, no breaks. And if I’m not healthy everyone is to come to see me in the hospital.… And if I’m dead, everyone is to come to my grave. Come to me every Sunday. All of you. No exceptions.’”

Harden not your hearts.… That’s very different from John the Baptist’s bitter condemnation. It is in fact no condemnation at all. It’s an invitation. Behind it is the recognition that God’s love is alwayswith us. It’s there in the good times. It’s there in the bad times. It’s there when we’re weak and confused. It’s there when were strong and determined. All we have to do to know that this love is there, is to open up our hearts.

The fact is, studies have shown that it is not just that happiness makes us grateful, but rather that gratefulness makes us happy. In other words, if you want to be happy, you need to learn to cultivate what folks in AA call an “attitude of gratitude,” that is, you need to learn to look around and notice all the things you have to be thankful for. And when you do, you make a point saying “Thank you.” That last part is vital.

As Julian of Norwich sees it, like a mother, Christ came to give birth to us, giving birth to our living souls. Like a mother he teaches us and guides us. And also like a mother he feeds us spiritually with his body.

We live in uncertain times. We all know this. We live that uncertainty every day. If we forget for a moment how uncertain things are we have only to turn to the news to be reminded of all that is happening… The thing is, as bad as it can seem right now, in another sense nothing has changed.