The Deadliest Day in U.S. History? It Depends How You Ask

While watching The National Memorial Day Concert (2026) on PBS this past Sunday night, I heard the 9/11 attacks described as the deadliest day—or one of the deadliest days—in American (U.S.) history. That got me thinking: how do we verify that statement? It should be easy, right? It wasn’t.

What I realized—even when you want a simple answer—is that it often isn’t. Almost immediately, I also realized this could be a useful example of how facts can be shaped by the way a question is framed.

To explore this more fully, I checked with an AI (in my case, M365 Copilot), expecting a quick, clear answer.

Um… not quite.

What started as a couple of hours of building tables became a much more interesting exercise when I asked what I thought was the same question in a slightly different way—and got a different answer. So much for AI just giving the “right” answer.

I spent the rest of the day working with Copilot, iteratively building answers and documenting the results. That was fine until I woke up later and couldn’t get back to sleep, with my mind replaying the questions, decisions, and assumptions behind what I had done.

At that point, I stepped back and asked Copilot to synthesize what we had been building together. What follows is that perspective—based on the same work, but organized differently.

Copilot’s Perspective: Why the Answer Isn’t Simple

When Seton asked me what sounded like a simple question—“What was the deadliest day in U.S. history?”—he expected a straightforward answer.

I didn’t give him one.

The problem wasn’t a lack of data. It was that the question itself wasn’t well-defined. Before I could answer it, I had to clarify what we meant by:

• What counts as a “day”
• What counts as a “death”
• And what kinds of events we’re comparing

Once those definitions start to shift—even slightly—the answer changes.

Three Different Answers to the Same Question

What we found was that there isn’t one “deadliest day”—there are several, depending on how the question is defined.

• If you mean a single recorded calendar day:
  → The Battle of Antietam (1862) is often cited.
• If you mean the deadliest 24-hour period in any event:
  → A disaster like the Galveston Hurricane (1900) may exceed it.
• If you include estimated peak days within longer events:
  → The 1918 influenza pandemic likely surpasses both.

Each answer is valid—but each depends on a different definition.

Why This Matters

At first glance, this might feel like splitting hairs. It isn’t.

Because if you don’t define the question clearly, it becomes very easy to:

• Select the answer you want
• Ignore competing interpretations
• And present something as “the truth” when it’s really just one version

In other words:

The same set of facts can produce different “answers” depending on how the question is framed.

What I Took Away

Working through this with Seton, the most important realization wasn’t which event ranked first.

It was this:

• Simple questions often hide complex assumptions
• Different types of events can’t always be compared directly
• And clarity about definitions matters more than the answer itself

What started as a search for a single fact became something more useful:

a way to understand why answers differ—and how easily they can be shaped.

One Question, Multiple Answers

One of the most surprising things we discovered is that there isn’t a single, clear answer to the question:

“What was the deadliest day in U.S. history?”

Instead, the answer depends on how you define “day.”
Below are three valid ways to look at it—each producing a different answer.

Table 1 — Deadliest “Single Day” (Strict, Observed Events)

Definition: deaths attributable to a specific calendar date; primarily observed events, with limited accepted peak-day attribution where totals are well established.

Rank	Event	Date	Why It Matters
1	Galveston Hurricane	September 8, 1900	Highest death toll associated with a single calendar date (including inferred peak-day events)
2	Battle of Antietam	September 17, 1862	Clearly documented single-day event
3	9/11 Attacks	September 11, 2001	Observed, not estimated
4	D-Day (U.S. deaths)	June 6, 1944	Comparable single-day record
5	Pearl Harbor	December 7, 1941	Fits strict “calendar day” definition

👉 This is the cleanest and most defensible definition—but also the narrowest.

Table 2 — Deadliest 24-Hour Periods (Disasters & Compressed Events)

Definition: deaths concentrated within an approximately 24-hour window; timing often requires interpretation.

Rank	Event	Date (Event peak period)	Why It Matters
1	Galveston Hurricane	Sept. 8, 1900	Deaths concentrated in a short time window
2	1906 San Francisco Earthquake	Apr. 18, 1906	Not tied to a single recorded “day”
3	Okeechobee Hurricane	Sept. 1928	High-intensity event
4	Johnstown Flood	May 31, 1889	Requires interpretation of timing
5	Peshtigo Fire	Oct. 8, 1871	Still largely observed, but less precise

👉 This often produces larger numbers—but depends on how you interpret timing.

Table 3 — Deadliest Peak Days (Modeled from Longer Events)

Definition: estimated peak daily deaths derived from multi-day or multi-week events; relies on modeling rather than direct observation.

Event	Estimated Peak Daily Deaths	Why It Matters
1918 Influenza	~3,000–5,000	Based on modeled peak daily deaths
COVID-19 (U.S.)	~3,500–4,000+	Not directly recorded as a single day
1957 Influenza	Lower estimated peak daily deaths	Derived from broader totals
1968 Influenza	Lower estimated peak daily deaths	Lower certainty, larger scale

👉 This category likely produces the largest numbers—but also relies the most on estimation.

What These Tables Show

Each of these tables is accurate—within its own definition.

But they are not answering the same question.

That means:

The “deadliest day” depends less on the raw data… and more on how the question is framed.

In the work behind these tables, we often had to reconcile multiple sources and, in some cases, estimate daily peaks from aggregate totals. That process itself reinforced how dependent the answer is on assumptions.

That was Copilot’s structured view of what we had built. Hearing it framed that way, I realized something important.

Final Thoughts (Seton)

After going through all of this, I’m not sure I would answer the original question the same way anymore—not because I don’t have an answer, but because I now realize I have several.

What began as a simple question turned into something more useful: a reminder that simple questions often hide complex assumptions, that different types of events can’t always be compared directly, and that clarity about definitions matters more than the answer itself.

When I now hear 9/11 described as the “deadliest day in U.S. history,” I hear that as one valid answer—to one version of the question, not the only answer.

So how often do we see something online or hear something on TV, and immediately agree or disagree?

Maybe the better first step is to ask: “What assumptions are hiding under the question?”

Peacemaker - A Conversation with Our Lord

 "We are far better at loving the idea of peace than at making peace within the realities of our lives." - Trevor Hudson

As soon as I saw the word "Peacemaker" I knew You, Lord, were calling me out of my comfort zone. These days, with our president in a war in Iran, I find the "Perfect Storm" of contradiction in my head. From my early days, with the Vietnam War, I saw the need for peacemaking. I even worked in the Diocese of Rochester (NY, Episcopal) Regional Youth program counseling for conscientious objectors, participating in NARMIC meetings in our town (Resisting the Vietnam War | American Friends Service Committee), and working to develop a life to resist the associated calls to power and violence as I grew up.

As my adulthood blossomed I took on a life of problem "solving" and problem "fixing", proclaiming my solution, finding there were times I agreed with power, imposing solutions as often as I tried to follow the call of peacemaking.

Yet here You are in my life, calling me forward, reminding me that I am still a Peacemaker.

Dear Lord: Help me. Help me to continue the peacemaking from my youth, to live and work peacemaking in my prayers, my actions, and in what I believe in my inmost heart.

(Triggered by Day 15 "Peacemaker", from 40 Words for 40 Days, Pauses for Lent, Trevor Hudson, Copyright 2015 by Trevor Hudson, Upper Room Books)

My Party Forgot Half of America

 

This blog is inspired by listening to an On Point podcast today. I grew up in a progressive household and have been progressive, and Democratic, for all my life. (Well, except for the sixth-grade mock vote where I voted for Mr. Nixon like all the kids that impressed me on the road I had just moved to...) But I have found it increasingly frustrating to support Democratic candidates and apologists as I have, for a long time, felt the Democrats lost the "traditional" backbone of middle-class folks, the individuals and families going to work every day, losing jobs when manufacturing leaves town, now having to work multiple jobs and miss family events just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

First, A Story - A Strike in Wickliffe OH

During my first full-time job I worked as a computer engineer for a company that made industrial controls in Wickliffe Ohio. During that time the manufacturing workers went on strike for higher pay and better working conditions. Even though I was "management" (salaried) I felt the workers had every right to collective bargaining, and striking, as needed. This was around 1978 or 1979 when our country was beginning to think about "offshoring". Long story short during the strike "management" (well the "senior" management, not me) chose to "offshore" one of the manufacturing lines to China. (I think it was the classic "cheaper there than here" but could also have been a bit of punishment for the union. But don't quote me on that.) It was the first example (in my opinion) where I saw the "elite" treating the very people that are the foundation of our economy as pawns, trying to minimize the cost of labor, labor that is the very core of our society.

Wringing My Hands and Listening To A Podcast

I have been thinking, since Mr. Trump's second presidential win, what has my party missed? I have been upset that we talk about all sorts of progressive goals and concepts, that we fight AIDs, increase healthcare coverage, fight to find ways to right the lingering effects of slavery, recognize that everyone but the Native or Indigenous people are immigrants, so much more... But we find these are not of crucial importance to half of our society. I am not surprised AT ALL the Democrats could not win the presidency. (Or the House and the Senate.) The On Point podcast "How the Left lost the working class" (originally broadcast 21-Jul-2025) answered important questions for me. This podcast only confirmed my understanding that we (the Progressive Elite) are no longer reaching what the podcast terms the "middle status voters" - the middle 50% of voters, the backbone of our country!

The Call

There is a lot in the Podcast - go listen (please) - but what I found, what I agree with, is (from the podcast) "The...tactic we should use is to connect with ordinary people's values". My call is to find a new Democratic voice that stops thinking the elite progressive is the only, or even primary model.

Our Democratic leaders and candidates need to understand, support, CONNECT WITH the middle 50% of voters.

(Updated to correct several typos)

The Journey, and the Thoughts, Continue

 

I realize I have not added anything to Thoughts That Simmered On My Journey since the first of the year. (And not much in 2024, or even in 2023...)  While the posts have been few, I know I am still on my journey, and am still thinking. Since I retired in November 2024, I have lots of thoughts but find I have not had the discipline to actually get them into print (or in my journal, either).

So hang in there, I expect there will be posts, I just don't know how many or how often...

Natural and Artificial

Last week I went outside to enjoy the frosty, cold (14of) morning before sunrise. To enjoy this special time in Your world I had dressed in a collection of clothes that kept me comfortable as I wandered in the pre-dawn “almost” light. After I returned to the warmth and opened my journal, I pondered the question “am I any less a part of Your world since most of what kept me warm was “artificial” rather than “natural”? There is the sentiment that “natural”, as in grown from Your earth, under the whim of wind, sun, and rain, is better than “artificial”, as in made by people, chemistry, and machines. One thought that comes to mind is that natural is somehow more “in tune” with Your creation, more what You would want… Then again there is the full understanding that You gave us our world, and gave us intellect and mind to explore, care for, and expand the world around us. Prioritizing “natural” over “artificial” does not respect the full gifts You have given us for our life in this world, nor our intellect to carefully create items that perform better and last longer than might be grown in our world. Regardless of “natural” or “artificial” clothes (or food, shelter, transportation, or whatever), we, the people You created, who live in this world You created, need to be diligent and respectful in our care as we join in the co-creation of items in Your gift, this world you gave us.

Lord, thank you for the warmth you give me as I share and enjoy Your world which You have given all of us. Guide me, in the careful selection, creation, and care of the tools, clothing, and food that I make and use. May I use all the products, both natural and artificial, with care and appreciation of the gifts You provide.

Amen

My Soul Magnifies the Lord

 

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent we read of Elizabeth’s greeting as Mary arrives (Luke 1:39-45). Some lectionaries extend this to include the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), which starts with Mary’s amazingly simple statement “My soul magnifies the Lord”. Luke has Mary making this statement with amazing (at least to me) confidence and purpose. I read it as a statement made by our Blessed Virgin Mary in the confidence she had from God. OR I can own this as a call to make this MY OWN statement of confidence in our Lord. It is a more difficult statement to make when I try to make it “mine”. Often, I am not confident in God. It can feel as I am not worthy of God’s care, let alone confident that my soul is magnifying anything worthy of sharing.

Oh Lord, give me the confidence to know my sole magnifies you, just as Mary said in her prayer. Help me act today so my living reflects Your call in my life, and give me the humility to ask Your forgiveness when I fail today, and every day. I ask this in your Son, Jesus’ name. Amen.

Picture Information: Mary, Mother of God statue in Stella Maris Chapel, St. Benedict/St. John’s University, St. John MN. Sculpted by Alexander Tylevich. Stella Maris Chapel | SJU Archives

Mary and her Auntie Elizabeth

 

As my mind wandered from reading Forward Day by Day today (FDD Thursday Dec 19, 2024) on John the Baptizer and how prophecy can be uncomfortable I ended up re-reading the story of Mary, Elizabeth, and the unusual prophecy and birth stories of John the Baptizer and Jesus in the first chapter of Luke. My first thought was something of why does the NRSV bible not claim a specific relationship between Mary and Elizabeth? I always remembered them as "cousins". After checking all the print Bible versions in the house, I only found one, The New Jerusalem Bible, that used the word "cousin" for the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth.

But, as I reread the story in the first chapter of Luke, what struck me today was the wonder and power of Mary having Auntie Elizabeth to visit and stay with. I am using “auntie” in the sense of an older, perhaps mother-like female in a person’s life. Regardless of the “blood” relationship between Mary and Elizabeth (it appears clear they were related) there looks to be a true “auntie” relationship of love and support of Mary by Elizabeth. Not only does this fulfil the biblical stories and prophecies, but it also shows, again, our Lord's support of the marginalized and downtrodden. We all need support like this in our life, especially during our more difficult times. And we are all called to give this support to others, regardless of relationship or gender. 

Calls

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me” – Eucharistic Prayer A, The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church

These are the words that are central in every celebration of the Eucharist in the Church. And I silently join in saying these words at every Eucharistic celebration. Well, except for those times that come all too often when my mind wanders from our Lord to the many distractions of our human world. And, again, during the finale of Godspell as Jesus sings “Oh God, I’m bleeding” I again join, to the best of my earthly experience and ability, feeling both the finality of the Jesus last words “Oh God, I’m dead” and the rush of joy as the company continues “Long live God, long live God” returning full circle to the great call “Prepare ye, the way of the Lord”.

To me these are the words, the actions, of God’s call to me. Christ’s life, the last supper, death, and the redemption given to all of us. But what is this call? There was the time, in my thirties, when the joy and power of the Eucharist called me. I asked questions. I looked around me. I wanted to be able to hold the bread, lift the cup of wine, to share them with my fellow Christians… I started the path of discernment to the priesthood. After a number of weeks, it became clear that this was not my Call. But the power of “Call” has always been a center point in my life. While I knew “Call” was there, at the center, I did not know what my Call was, at least beyond what I was (and still am).

But what is “Call”? Something that is “One and Done”? Can you have more than one? Or perhaps is Call – like so much of the rest of life – “Just” part of the journey? Like when Larry E spent what felt like the whole evening talking to just me after my high-school friends had finally convinced me to not drink that one evening in 9th grade and join them at Bible Rap? Or when, during our pre-marital counseling, I asked our priest if I was really ready for the step of Marriage? Or the time, a year or so after that evening Bible Rap, on the Greyhound bus traveling from Rochester to Dansville when, after a weekend of working with other young people in the Regional Youth Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester I just knew that I was giving my life to our Lord and Saviour? When in the dark of the bus in the night I made that personal acknowledgement and commitment that has given me the power to say “Yes” when asked if I am “Born Again”?

As I write this I realize that night on the bus, in the dark, with no other earthly companion, is my Call. It is the time I gave my life to God. No strings attached and no idea of the consequences. My life is God’s.

Not that it keeps me from making all sorts of better or more questionable decisions, or following harder, easier, longer, or sometimes more dangerous routes to where I am today. That ninth-grade evening of choosing Bible Rap over going out and drinking didn’t keep me from drinking. It was another ten years before my wife and I (along with our nine-month-old son) were assistant chaperones for an EYC event. After watching Diary of a Teen-Age Alcoholic, the kids could not relate. But I did. And announced that had been my life. Nor does one call mean we don’t make other vows or promises. I made and keep Marriage Vows. I am a parent, and now a grandparent. I have promised stability and continued learning as a Benedictine Oblate. I am a part of my Church’s Christian Community. These, and other commitments, are each calls. They each require discernment to initiate and commitment to continue. All center around the one, central, Call: That I am God’s and I have given my life to God.

Pentecost 2023: On the occasion of a change in direction for a priest friend

Advent week 3: Sunday - Letting Go That Which Is Not Working

 

Blogging daily did not work the way I had planned. My family and being a worker in the world is the vocation God calls me to at this time.

The poem "She Let Go" by Safire Rose says it well. And thank you Jenice for the reference in the Saint George's Episcopal Church (Arlington) 2020 Virtual Advent Calendar.

I am not giving up blogging, I am confident new blog entries will occur, I just don't know when. Or how often.

A Prayer: Lord God, Thank You for what I have learned so far this Advent. Thank You for being with me and guiding me. Please continue to help me to do the work You have for me to do. And just as importantly, help me to care for myself appropriately as I continue to grow and live in this confusing,wonderful world. Amen.

Advent Week 2: Wednesday - "Give us grace..."

Advent is a time of pausing. In this pause we ponder God's grace in our lives. The Collect last week started "Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light..." This week we ask God: "Give us grace to heed their (the prophets) warnings and forsake our sins..."  Implicit is the understanding we cannot do it ourselves, no matter how much we try and how much we wish to do it ourselves, it is only with Your grace, God that we move forward and are closer to you.

A Prayer: Lord, be with me and give me this grace today to cast the works of darkness in my life away, to heed Your call to forsake my sins. Thank you.

Advent Week 2: Tuesday - "Jesus Christ our Redeemer"

• Sing a new song to the LORD,
• his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
• Let Israel rejoice in its Maker;
• let Sion’s children exult in their king.
• Let them praise his name with dancing,
• and make music with timbrel and harp.

Psalm 149:1-3 (RGP)

"Our Redeemer? Where?"

All day today I have been caught up at work. My email fills up with requests, status updates, the problems my group needs to solve... This morning (such a long time ago) I read from Psalms, took in some meditations, took a walk and talked to You. But then I jumped right in to the work of the day. I didn't think about the lines above (which I read this morning) or remember to say Thank You when things went well.

Advent is a reminder that yes You ARE here. This Advent I am spending a little more time with You. Truth be known I am not all that excited about that since taking time for You, well, takes time. And all day long there is the answer to the "where" and even the unsaid "how" of my busy day, my trying to take care of it all, and my not letting You in...

Where is our Redeemer? Right here, with us as we laugh, complain, succeed, fail, and just live.

A Prayer: Dear Lord, redeem my life, especially when I try to take over, or am so frustrated I give up, and stay with me always. Thank You. Amen. 

Advent Week 2: Monday - "Your Messengers the prophets preach..."

"...your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way..."

Being a "typical" mainline church goer and not a Bible scholar, I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of the prophets in the Bible. Curious, I checked and found eighteen prophets listed under the heading "The Prophetic Books" in my copy of The New Oxford Annotated Bible. But I do keep trying. Today the reading was from Isaiah (Isaiah 5:8-23, specifically.) I read of coming punishment, drunkenness, the inability distinguish right from wrong... In just this short section of one prophet I find so many ways I feel I don't measure up.

Perhaps I am really getting too far in the weeds here. The big picture I see is that You, God, worked hard to provide us with an understanding of how we fail and what You expect of us. We didn't listen to the Prophets so now you sent Your Son Jesus to speak and be among us...

A Prayer: Give me the will to keep following Your path, even when I want to give up. Help me to keep reading regularly, and not lose heart when the path gets steep. Amen.

Advent Week 2: Sunday - (Listen) - Heed - Forsake

 

"Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins..."

To know what the warnings are for me, Lord, I need to listen, not just read, but LISTEN. I cannot heed, I cannot forsake until I understand what the warnings are and what I need to change. Listening is key. I am very good at reading, research, building lists, thinking of all the things I need to stop, or start, or change. I can prioritize them this way and that. I can build a Sunday Top Five, then on Monday prioritize again to get a new Top Five.

I need You, Lord. Not just listening to the latest preaching, wonderful hymns, guidance from those I report to, and listening to those I love... All of these are important and provide good input, but they are not the key. The key for me is to listen to You, to make time every day and listen. You know me, are always there, have been with me since I was born. You Love me and know me. You know what is best for me. When I listen to You, Lord, I must trust, trust in two ways:

• First: That you DO know what is right
• Second: That when I hear You incorrectly, or interpret what you say to my advantage (oh yes, I will do both of those) You are right there with me, ready to forgive me and for me try again...

A Prayer: I praise and thank You for my life with you. Please give me the patience to make time, be quiet, and listen for You. Once I have heard You, give me the courage to forsake my sins and do what You have called me to do. Amen.

Advent Week 1: Saturday - "...when he shall come again in his glorious majesty..."

Is the time now, Lord? Am I ready? I am so tired, please let this be the end time, and please let me join You in Heaven! Alternatively am I looking at my life with You and hoping, wishing, trusting that You will give me a few more days or years to get myself and my life in order? Maybe the more realistic view is I want to be ready to be with You, God, but if You don't mind there are a few things I am really enjoying right now. As long as I don't look too carefully I can call them enjoyment and relaxation rather than sins. And let's not even mention the sins I just don't have the courage today to face, and certainly am embarrassed to admit to You...

For me Advent is about living life today, preparing to meet You in the end, and remembering that You came among us so I can have life immortal with You.

• For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
• he bestows favor and honor.
• No good thing does the Lord withhold
• from those who walk uprightly.
• O Lord of hosts,
• happy is everyone who trusts in you

Psalm 84:11-12, NRSV 

Advent Week 1: Friday - "Mortal Life and Life Immortal"

 

"...now in the time of this mortal life...we may rise to life immortal..."

Can we really know life immortal? I know my mortal life, the one I have lived since I was born. From my first memories to today, that is the span of what I understand as "mortal." I experience the birth and death of those around me. But what of this "immortal" life? I hear stories of those before me and I have hopes for those living after me, but all I really know is based on the now that I live in...

Life immortal? What does it mean? We get glimpses in the stories of the bible. Do we really know what immortal is? Today the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) came to my mind. In that story a chasm separates the Rich Man from Lazarus, just as my life today is separate from my immortal life to come. I cannot clearly see immortal life today, the path between now and there is misty and confusing with the glowing city of God just visible on a good day, far in the distance. My life getting to that city is like tramping through hills and valleys covered with clouds, the mountain peaks on the horizon bathed in the sun... With God's help, I will safely travel to life immortal. 

A Prayer: The views here on earth call me, and I thank You. Your words of heaven above call me, and I thank you. Thank you for being with me, and all of us. We praise you for  giving us the glimpses that keep us moving on the path to immortal life. Amen.

Advent Week 1: Thursday - Rebuild

 

Is this the year to rebuild? Rebuild is a big word and means many things. Rebuilding takes time, effort, commitment, and resources. We can renew, we can repair, but sometimes we choose to rebuild. We can rebuild houses, engines, relationships, trust, even lives. 

Advent is our time of anticipation and waiting. We pause and consider what the birth of our Lord means to us and for us. It is the beginning of a new year. In this year of COVID we may be especially anxious, we may wonder if we have time and energy for renewal or repair, let alone rebuilding since so much of our time, our life, is simply taking care of every day so we can get to whatever is next.

Advent is also a time of discernment and stepping out boldly. Remember Mary, she stepped out boldly when she said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38, NRSV) Just as advent is only the beginning of our glorious church year, our discernment now is just the beginning of the next part of our life with the Lord!

Even if this year is not the right time for that major rebuild, even if all we accomplish is minor repairs and renewal, may we remember our Lord is always with us, listening, waiting, and loving. And go read ahead just a little in Luke 1, check out verses 46-55 and hear Mary’s response to her child leaping in her womb…

A Prayer: Lord thank you for today and this Advent season. Be with me as I discern, once again, what you are calling me to. If this is the time for rebuilding, guide me, hold me, carry me when I am afraid. But whatever time it is, may my life be yours, just as Mary’s life is yours… Amen.

(Originally posted by Saint George's Episcopal Church as part of their "Virtual Advent Calendar 2020" project on Thursday 03-Dec-2020. See the complete calendar at https://www.saintgeorgeschurch.org/2020-virtual-advent-calendar

Advent Week 1: Wednesday - "Jesus Christ Came to visit us in great humility"

Humility is a perennial favorite. I usually think of how I want first prize for being humble, for having humility. As the old joke goes, "if I go around crowing about winning the prize for humility I have just lost it..." But You, Lord, humble? I think of you as Creator, Saviour, the God of All reigning in Majesty and Splendor! Your Majesty and Splendor ranges from the mountains to the dew on the grass to the stars in the sky. You are the Creator of the Universe!

But... When you came to visit us you chose to come into the world just as each of us: Born a baby, dependent on your mother and father to feed you, to keep you safe, even to move you to another country when you were in danger. When tempted in the desert you simply kept praying. When your mother asked you for more wine at the wedding you simply did as asked. You didn't make a splashy show of turning the water into wine, nor did you make a scene that it was not yet time... And in the end You chose, with only a simple confirmation that Your death was not to be avoided, do die, just as we each will die.

A Prayer: Oh Lord, thank you for giving me life and giving me today. Help me to simply do what is before me, neither complaining nor waiting for praise and recognition. And when I feel the call to complain, or the need for recognition, help me to remember Your visit to us, and the humility and strength you displayed. Amen.

Advent Week 1: Tuesday - "...put on the armor of light..."

 

Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Romans 13:12b-14, NRSV

I love the light. As we remodeled our house this year I noticed I picked lighter colors and I am leaving the blinds open to the sun much more often than I used to. Perhaps a bit of this comes from being ten years older than when I painted the same rooms when we first moved in to our house, perhaps some comes simply from growing closer to God.

The lines from Romans are a good reminder that I am human, with sin and failure built right in to my life. I feel pretty good that I am not drunk and licentious in the crudest forms, but that bit of light shining in my life does find dark corners. I need that armor of light when I see those corners,  and especially when I see those corners and realize I need to put on my spiritual gloves and get out that spiritual soap to get rid of the collected crumbs, dust, and forgotten spills in my heart and in my actions.

So, let the light come into my life as well as my house, and give me the armor of light that is God with me, even, or perhaps most especially, when reveling, debauchery, quarreling, and jealousy look so wonderful with their own shiny temptations.

A Prayer: God, thank you for today and being with me. Thank you for your light in my life. Help me to put on this armor, this light, and to bring this armor and light to others in our world.

Advent Week 1: Monday - "Grace to Cast Away The Works of Darkness"

This year I have a goal of daily blog entries during Advent. This came about as I was asked to participate in a Parish "Virtual Advent Calendar" at Saint George's Episcopal Church in Arlington VA. You can look for the "2020 Virtual Advent Calendar" link at St. George's Web Site.

I propose (to myself at least) to use the  weekly Advent Collect from The Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer as inspiration and departure. You will find each weeks Collect posted in the Advent Collects page on my blog site. Remember, I did say inspiration and departure, don't be surprised to find the occasional exception.

On to today's blog entry...

"Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness..." Ever since I can remember I have loved the imagery of casting darkness away when we read this collect at our family dinner table. The physical act of striking a match to create light, lighting the first Advent candle, followed by reading the collect as part of family grace at supper brings back fond memories. I remember when Mother or Daddy struck the match, the light bursting forth and the acrid smell of the match wood burning as the candle was lit; then being old enough to have my hand held as I learned to strike the match and light the candle, and, finally, being able to strike the match and light the candle all by myself...

God can strike light in our life just like that match. And, if we allow, God kindles flames in our lives just as the match kindles the flame of the candle. Does this cast away the works of darkness? With prayer, and a lot of help from God, we are well on the way to casting the works of darkness away from our lives...

A Prayer: God, help me to remember the grace of your light in my life, that You will cast away all darkness in my life, if only I will let you. Amen.

Advent Week 1: Sunday - "Anticipation"

No, not the ketchup ad... but the first verse of the Carly Simon song "Anticipation" says it well:

• We can never know about the days to come
• But we think about them anyway
• And I wonder if I'm really with you now
• Or just chasin' after some finer day

Advent is our season of anticipation as we wait for God's arrival here on earth. We are not the first to wait in anticipation. We may sometimes wonder about our waiting, possibly even begin to lose heart. Think about Zechariah in Luke 1:7 "But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years." Zechariah had been praying, it must be for years, but at that time if I were Zechariah I think I would have given up anticipating having a baby with my wife. God, however, had other plans. God sent an angel saying "Your prayer has been heard... Elizabeth will bear you a son and you will name him John..."

Just as Zechariah and Elizabeth's pregnancy is just the beginning, so this Sunday is just the beginning of our time of anticipation. We don't know if our lives will be upended like Zechariah's, Elizabeth's, Mary's, and Joseph's lives were upended. But this year our lives are upended. We didn't plan on our lives being upended any more than Zecharia expected to hear he was going to be a father, then get told that just because he didn't immediately believe this unbelievable news that he would be mute for the next nine months and eight days...

Let us not be "just chasin' after some finer day", let us spend time with our Lord as we prepare for His arrival on Christmas...

A Prayer: Lord thank you for today, and thank you for the year we have had since the start of last Advent. Help us to accept our lives as they are and give us courage to listen to You. Amen.