Taryn R. Hutchison's Blog: The Glorious Muddle, page 26

Third Candle: Joy to the World!

The third candle – the pink one – is the Candle of Joy. It recalls the angels rejoicing about the birth of Christ and reminds us that the news of Jesus is meant to bring us great joy. He alone is the Joy of the World. Catholics call this Gaudete Sunday. This year it will [...]

Second Candle: Get Ready!

How do you prepare for something? If you’re taking an exam, which many college students are doing this week, you study. You say “no” to things that sound more fun in order to read and cram and memorize. If you expect a hurricane, you batten down the hatches; a tornado, you take refuge in your [...]

First Candle: Hope

Advent is the time of waiting for the coming of Jesus. The Jews of old waited on the Hope of Israel to send the long-promised Messiah. When the time was right, He came. Not a day too soon, nor a day too late. Our wait is much easier. We count the days until the annual celebration of [...]

Advent: Wait for it

Have you ever wondered why Advent candles are purple and pink, un-seasonlike colors, instead of the red and green of Christmas? Or even the blue and silver of Hanukkah? I have. And that curiosity drove me to look further. Here’s what I found: Advent, which began this year on the first day of December, includes the four Sundays before Christmas [...]

Wait for it

Have you ever wondered why Advent candles are purple and pink, un-seasonlike colors, instead of the red and green of Christmas? Or even the blue and silver of Hanukkah? I have. And that curiosity drove me to look further. Here’s what I found: Advent, which began this year on the first day of December, includes the four Sundays before Christmas [...]

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

On Nov. 28, 2013, for the first and only time in any of our lifetimes, the first full day of the eight days of Hanukkah converges with American Thanksgiving. We will not have another “Thanksgivukkah” for 70,000 years, or so I read. (I didn’t know how to begin to check the math on that one.) [...]

Half a Century Later

Today, the world marks 50 years since that  traumatic event that forever branded my generation: John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Innocence died the day Camelot was destroyed and cynicism, growing stronger ever since, quickly replaced it. Every Baby Boomer remembers where we were when we heard the news. Although I was only in second grade, my memory, like my contemporaries, [...]

Surrendering your Platform

Some people have platforms; others dream of achieving status and fame. But whether we can call it a bonafide “platform” or not, we all have someone who observes our life, either close up or from a distance, to emulate us. Most of us would actually be quite amazed at the breadth and depth of our spheres [...]

There’s Hope: Lights Shine Brighter in Darkness

My latest article for our local paper’s Faith and Values page: Many today think our world is a bleak place. Some claim it’s never been this bad. Discouragement is natural when we look at the rise in non-Christian religions, fascination with the occult, and unbiblical political issues. Immorality is rampant, even among churchgoers. College campuses [...]

Sobering Reminders

My husband and I both celebrated our birthday this week – on the same day! It’s one of my favorite things about being married to Steve. In the midst of the fun we had and the love we felt from so many friends all over the world, I had two sobering reminders of suffering. Last weekend [...]