Best of the Blogroll: 2006

I've decided to ring out the old year by noting my favorite post of 2006 for each blog on my blogroll.

• Aardvark Alley: The Sun Never Sets on the Aardvark Empire is not actually a typical post at Aardvark Alley. It's hard to choose from the steady stream of good artwork, community-building pieces, and historical-community links to the faith through the ages. But the man is so devoted to building community and historical continuity that I wanted to give a nod to his fun-loving expansive style.
  
• Adrian Warnock: The Charismatic / Cessationist debate was done with respect and an appreciation of the other's views.
  
• Apologia Christi: Grace Part V: A Deepening Trust
  
• Attention Span: Old Hippie
  
• Bede's Journal: Book Burning: A Comparative Study (Synopsis: banned books more likely to survive)
  
• CADRE Comments: So much to choose from. But I'm going with Finding Faith in Science Fiction
  
• Cerulean Sanctum: Gut Check #4
  
• Culture Watch: Humility: The Heart of Righteousness
  
• Dawn Treader: Notes from the Pigfest
  
• Dr. Platypus: Originally posted in August on his old blog, the old blog has since been deleted! He has graciously re-posted this piece so it is not lost to the internet: Verses I'd Rather See on a Communion Table
  
• Faith and Theology: Karl Barth on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  
• Familyhood Church: Meekness of Wisdom over Strength of Doctrine
  
• Meta's Blog: Epistemology and Miracles
  
• Ralph the Sacred River: What does a world-class scholar have to say about comic books? The man has breadth and a generous spirit to go with his impressive CV. Comic Books (i): Comics As Narrative
  
• The Rebel God: This blogger does most of his major pieces off-blog, which is where this link goes: How Can A Loving God Send People to Hell?
  
• Shrinking Universe: Sacraments and Ritual
  
• Sven's Theology Blog: Scot McKnight Interview
  
• Thinklings: So many bloggers, so many posts -- I picked two from the Thinklings: The Gospel According to John and An Open Question (re: Christian-on-Christian hatred)

With my thanks to all of you for being bloggers.

Take care & God bless

Christmas Thank-You Notes

As you may have gathered from my entry in the Posada blog chain, this Christmas has been one where I struggle to find time, struggle to find room, struggle to get my heart and mind prepared, to make straight a path for the Lord. More on all that after the New Year. But for today I'd like to send out a few thank-you notes to people whose Christmas posts were a blessing to me.

• Happy Birthday, O 'Pale Galilean' at Ralph the Sacred River.
  
• Waiting for Godot on the Silentest Night of the Year at Metacrock's Blog.
• Isaac of Nineveh's Christmas Sermon at Dr. Platypus.

Christmas: blog-break

I'm taking a blog-break so that I can better enjoy and appreciate Christmas without keeping up a writing schedule. I plan to be back for New Year's.

Merry Christmas.

The First Christmas: Historical Background

Dr. Pursiful has been running a satisfyingly in-depth series on the historical background of Jesus' birth such as the censuses, star of Bethlehem, when Zechariah's rotation would have come up to serve in the Temple, and so forth. Stop by and give him a read. Well worth the time.

Messiah! God's Salvation In Songs of Praise

Handel's Messiah is a well-loved full-length concert of songs in praise of the Messiah. But that style of music is not for every age or every culture. I started by planning to make a set list for a concert of Messiah with songs that were more familiar. I finished by making three separate set lists in different styles. Some of these are more complete than others, and as always my own song preferences are showing:

Traditional Hymns
Holiness of God: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Nativity: What Child Is This?
Nativity: Joy to the World
Passion: Go to Dark Gethsemane
Resurrection: Jesus Christ is Risen Today
In Praise of Redemption: At the Lamb's High Feast
Holy Communion: Bread of the World in Mercy Broken
Holy Communion: This is the Feast of Victory for Our God
Holy Communion: Just As I Am (Lamb of God, I Come)
Christ the King: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
Christ the King: Crown Him With Many Crowns
Praise and Faith: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Ascension: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
Father, Son, and Spirit: Holy, Holy, Holy

African-American Spirituals
Praise and Faith: He's Got the Whole World In His Hands
Nativity: Go, Tell it on the Mountain!
Ministry: Man from Galilee (Put your hand in the hand ...)
Passion: Were You There? (When they Crucified My Lord)
In Praise of Redemption: O Happy Day
Great Commission: Children, Go Where I Send Thee!
Holy Communion: Let us Break Bread Together On Our Knees
Christian Walk: Day by Day (Three Things I Pray)

Contemporary Spiritual Songs
Praise and Faith: This is My Father's World
Praise the Name: Jesus, Name Above All Names
Praise for Deliverance: El Shaddai
Holy Spirit: Breath of the Living God (Soplo de Dios)
Christ the King: King of Kings
Christ the King: Majesty
Christian Walk: They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love

My "Contemporary Spiritual Songs" list is short on songs about Christ's earthly life, death, and resurrection, and about Holy Communion. I'm not sure whether that's my own limited familiarity with this set of songs, or whether there's a genuine lack of songs there. The African-American Spirituals list is better-rounded but I'm sure I'm missing some good ones. Write-in suggestions are welcome!

(I did leave out one of my favorite African-American Spirituals -- Ezekiel Cried, "Them Dry Bones!" -- because it didn't fit very well with the overall set list.)

Posada: Mary and Joseph's Journey

The posada is a centuries-old New World Christmas tradition with figurines of the holy family being housed in a new home in the community each night. Traditionally done as a novena starting on December 16th, it has been been expanded and adapted for on-line use. Tonight I am hosting the holy couple on their way.

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"No room, no room. Sorry, try somewhere else." God has been hearing that from the dawn of humanity. So have all kinds of strangers in need. Tonight, let me be glad that God takes time for us, and welcomes us. May we all have the heart of God and the Spirit of God.

Take care & God bless

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Mary and Joseph's hosts
Yesterday Anne Gogh
Tomorrow Dave

Whole Chain:
Mon 04 Dec Chris Munroe aka Desert Pastor
Tue 05 Dec Jem Clines
Wed 06 Dec Alistair
Thu 07 Dec Lydia
Fri 08 Dec Jennie Swanson
Sat 09 Dec Psalmist
Sun 10 Dec Dr Platypus
Mon 11 Dec Sally Coleman
Tue 12 Dec Jim Palmer
Wed 13 Dec Anne Gogh
Thu 14 Dec Weekend Fisher
Fri 15 Dec Dave
Sat 16 Dec John Cooper
Sun 17 Dec Sue Wallace at Abbess of Visions
Mon 18 Dec Lucas
Tue 19 Dec Joanna at Keeping Feet
Wed 20 Dec Adrian at Emerging Church info.
Thu 21 Dec Ian Mobsy at Mootblog
Fri 22 Dec Bob Carlton
Sat 23 Dec Chelley at Chelley's Teapot
Sun 24 Dec Abbey Nous

The Ghost of Christmas Present: On wrongs done in the name of Christ

"Forgive me if I am wrong. It has been done in your name, or at least in that of your family," said Scrooge.

"There are some upon this earth of yours," returned the Spirit, "who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us."

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, The Second of the Three Spirits