I wonder if Luke had tongue in cheek when he wrote the conclusion to his description of John the Baptist. Luke recounts John's less-than-diplomatic practice of calling his audience a bunch of snakes ...

I have always loved Advent. Even as a child, I was filled with the aching wonder of the season when my dad would lead us in singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel to the glow of the Advent wreath in the dark ...

What a rich and delightful potpourri are our Advent readings! There is a lively and beautiful theological conversation going on each week between the Hebrew Scriptures, the Epistle and the Gospel.