As Paul says in I Corinthians 15, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But we do have hope in Christ for the life that is yet to come. It is this joy, that can only be known by those whom Christ has called, that transforms weariness into peace. This is why the words of Christ in Matthew 11 resonate with God’s people. Parents when you are overcome by weariness remember and rejoice in these precious words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble […]
Holidays
120 posts
The ABC News website reports the following story from Davenport, Iowa: “Taking a recommendation by the Davenport Civil Rights Commission to change the holiday’s name to something more ecumenical, City Administrator Craig Malin sent a memo to municipal employees announcing Good Friday would officially be known as ‘Spring Holiday.’” As you can imagine, the ruling brought a fair amount of controversy and was overturned by the city council. It is important to note that we can take nothing for granted. This story demonstrates an increasingly hostile mood toward Christianity. However, the only way to stem this tide in a way that honors God is for the church to focus more on being salt and light and less on political activism. […]
New Year’s Day–it is supposed to be a time of new beginnings. It is marked by celebrations, parties, football, and resolutions–and for some, hangovers. Culturally, compared to Christmas, New Year’s Day is also less stressful. One does not hear declarations of “Keep Christ in the New Year” bandied about on talk shows. No one speaks of New Year’s Day as a religious holiday. However, for most people New Year’s Day is a deeply religious holiday. It is the holiday of self-worship. It is a day when people believe that if they make specific resolutions and determine to turn over a new leaf, they can change the things about themselves that they don’t like. It is a day on which people […]
Dr. Al Mohler made this statement in his post “Where does the Story of Christmas Begin?”: “A closer look at the narratives in both Matthew and Luke reveals a richness that familiarity may hide from us. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Christ….” Dr. Mohler makes an excellent point. We tend to put aside verses in the biblical text that don’t appear to be of particular interest–like genealogies. However, skipping over such pasages is not wise. The Holy Spirit included these names for a reason. His version of the Christmas story includes more detail than we have become accustomed to thinking about. Each of the names in the genealogy represents a story within the larger story of Christmas. In the […]
Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World” based upon Psalm 98. The psalm speaks of God’s power in winning a great victory. And, of course, the advent of Jesus Christ marks the beginning of this victory that culminated in the triumph of this same Christ on the cross. God fulfilled the promise he offered to Eve and all of mankind in the Garden. Jesus is the One who would crush the serpent’s head and give joy to a broken world.
I enjoyed reading Al Mohler’s post “Where does the Story of Christmas Begin?” This thought in particular caught my attention: “A closer look at the narratives in both Matthew and Luke reveals a richness that familiarity may hide from us. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Christ….” Dr. Mohler, as usual, is on target. We tend to put aside verses in the biblical text that don’t appear to be of particular interest– like genealogies. However, this is not wise. The Holy Spirit included these names for a reason. His version of the Christmas Story includes more detail than we have become accustomed to thinking about. Each of the names in the genealogy represents a story within the larger story of […]
Matthew quotes the Prophet Isaiah and in so doing he brings to us perhaps the most amazing reality of the Advent. This wonderful truth is that in person of Jesus Christ, God is continually with his people. People often say they wish Christmas could last all year long. Well, for those whom God has called, the reason for Christmas will be with us for eternity. Once the presents are opened and the tree is taken down the world’s thoughts of Christmas fade into the New Year celebrations. But for you, God’s child, the person of Immanuel lives on. He is with you. Praise God, he is with you! All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through […]
Your children know everything about you. They see when you are sleeping, they know when you have been good or bad, they know when you pout and when you shout. Your kids know all of this without your ever having to say a word. When you stumble and ask God for help — they learn. When you stumble and snap or make excuses — they learn from that, too. If you value your relationship with God above all else, your children will know that as well. What does this have to do with being Santa’s helper? Just this: in Psalm 72:18 we read that “God alone does marvelous things.” However, at Christmas time, for little children someone else is portrayed […]
As I listen to the radio, read various opinion articles, and view cable news programs, I have found that the seasonal greeting of Happy Holidays is a hot topic this year. Particularly, some say that Happy Holidays is a concession to political correctness. And, of course, this is true. Happy Holidays has come to replace the more antiquated Season’s Greetings in the marketplace as the accepted seasonal salutation. The primary reason for this choice is the motivation to avoid offending anyone who has a different religious preference. Happy Holidays, then, is supposed to accommodate Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and other groups, even the non-believers. In reality, Happy Holidays is a denial of the reason for the Christmas celebration. However, this […]
What does Merry Christmas mean? The first widespread usage of the greeting Merry Christmas apparently began in 1843 with the publishing of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Not surprisingly, the greeting first appeared on Christmas cards that same year. The idea behind this phrase is that Christmas should be a happy, joyous time. So when you wish someone a Merry Christmas, you are, in fact, offering a blessing to them for a merry or happy occasion. For Christians, this is where it gets interesting. The annual celebration of Christ’s birth is not directly commanded in Scripture. However, we do have a good example to follow in the proclamation of the angels announcing Christ’s birth. We looked briefly at this announcement, […]