Presbymom

  As I sat in a frozen community this week, I was restricted to an electronic world and communication through screens. Yet, I found a few forgotten friends and a few new ones.     Technology warned me before the storm to prepare!    My daughter thanks Alexa after an interaction is finished – “you just never know” she says.    Science fiction abounds with horror and fantasy of artificial intelligence becoming human – enhancing or replacing us as the wise dominant species of the known world. As a pastor who began my career in artificial intelligence (AI), it brings me pause as our world shrinks, bends and redefines what we ‘know’.   This week that took the form of articles on AI writing sermons. Is this ethical? Effective? Helpful or the end of church as we know it? The concept of papers being written by this other intelligence was safely removed from my realm of existence until it wasn’t. I happily type along and let my word processor correct my spelling and suggest word replacement or

This second Sunday of Advent , that yearly season of waiting, we look to first things. The Good News, the baby is coming. How do the gospels start the story of the good news – the blessed story of Jesus among us? Matthew begins with a genealogy and an angel convincing Joseph not to divorce Mary. Mark begins with John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of one to come and then Jesus’ baptism John – begins with - In the beginning was the Word and eventually gets to John foretelling one to come after whose sandals he is not worthy to tie. It’s no wonder so much of our beloved memories of The story come from Luke – we have heard that the elderly couple Zechariah and Elizabeth are expecting a baby and an angel has appeared to Mary. After being told not to be afraid by an angel, we join the story. Listen to the living word from  Luke 1:39-55 (NIV) 39  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,  40  where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizab