There is an old adage that says, “If you want knowledge, go to college. If you want wisdom, go to God.” Solomon understood this truth when he asked God for the gift of wisdom over and above all other gifts.

I’ve learned that knowledge can take a lot of time and work to attain while wisdom is more like a gift that is bestowed upon you.

As I have been writing these notes, and “living” in the world of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, I have been totally caught up in all the anticipation of Jesus’ coming into the world. It reminds me of the excitement of the days before Christmas that I experienced as a child. But in these notes we’re not quite ready for Luke’s Christmas story. There are two other gospel stories to look at first.

“Worship is the appropriate place for us to bring our greatest grief and deepest suffering into the presence of God.” I read the words, by author J. David Pleins in his book The Psalms: Songs of Tragedy, Hope and Justice, with a touch of incredulity. He can’t be serious! I thought.