Category: Christmas
Modern Christmas Hymn… powerful lyrics
I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting),
so this is a pre-scheduled post for your encouragement, education and enjoyment!
Last Christmas I noticed this song by the Newsboys. Not guys you’d necessarily expect to have such wonderful lyrics… but you’d be surprised. The lyrics grab me in a very special way…(the specific parts that hit me are in red italics) And take note… it’s written from the perspective of one of the shepherds who were the recipients of the angelic announcement that Jesus was born…
ADORATION by the Newsboys
I'm here with the others who saw the heavens testify Now I hang back in the shadows I want to come close I want to know She sees me shivering here she smiles and with a nod I walk through the mud and straw to the newborn Son of God Come, let us adore Him He has come down to this barren land where we live And all I have to give Him is adoration He raises a wrinkled hand through the dust and the flies Wrapped in rags like we are and with barely open eyes He takes my finger and He won't let go - and He won't let go It's nothing like I knew before and it's all I need to know Come, let us adore Him He has come down to the world we live in And all I have to give Him is adoration God is with us here Our Immanuel God is with us here Our Immanuel O come let us adore Him O come let us adore Him Jesus, our Immanuel is with us here and He won't let go
Simply Jesus – Sermon Audio from Christmas Sunday
DATE: 12-26-2010 (This one is short but sweet!)
I pray a joy-filled Christmas for you…
Thanks to everyone who has read, commented on, and endured my blog efforts this past year. I simply pray that the Lord Jesus will fill every heart with the Joy that is Him, this Christmas.
Carey
Advent Sermon – A Tale of Wonder
“A Tale of Wonder” – Sermon #3 in our 2010 Advent series!
He is Born!
THIS ARTICLE IS REPOSTED FROM THE GOSPEL COALITION BLOG:
What an announcement! When the shepherds heard the angel’s report—“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11)—did they understand the magnitude and the mystery that Christ the Lord was born? How could they have grasped that the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, had been born as one who was like them in every respect, and one day would be their propitiation for sins (Hebrews 2:17)? As Martin Luther once put it, the helpless and nursing baby was, at the same time, holding the universe together.
As Christians, we confess that God the Son put on flesh and was born as one of us. He was hungry, tired, and bled just like us. Yet he did not cease to be the unchangeable and infinite Creator-God. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. It confounds us. But we believe in the Incarnation, not because we can make complete sense of it, but because it makes sense of everything else.
It makes sense of the Bible
The divine identity of Jesus Christ flows through the proclamations of the New Testament and the hopeful expectations of the Old like blood through veins. It is the life of the gospel—the shape of God’s saving work in Christ—that the Son of God came in the flesh (2 John 7); that while he is the eternal Creator and God (John 1:3; John 20:28; Col. 1:16-17), he also became like us (Heb. 2:17; Phil. 2:7) and reconciled us to God by his blood (Col. 1:20).
Leo the Great (400-461), who helped put together the Chalcedonian definition (451), argued that through the two natures of Christ (fully man and fully God) comes the biblical understanding of our justification and redemption. And to deny such a mystery is “to destroy all hope of man’s salvation.” The purpose of the Incarnation, Leo argues, is to deliver man from eternal death. He writes:
The Word of God . . . so bending himself to take on him our humility without the decrease in his own majesty, that remaining what he was and assuming what he was not, he might unite the true form of a slave to that form which he is equal to God the Father, and join both natures together by such a compact that the lower should not be swallowed up in its exaltation nor the higher impaired by its new associate.
He writes further that it was for the needs of our sinful case, the “inviolable nature was united with a passible nature, and true God and true man were combined to form one Lord . . . being the perfect Mediator between God and men, he could both die with the one and rise again with the other.”
Many reflections on the Incarnation end on the surprising note of God humbling himself to the form of man. But we must not stop there. While we hold up with one hand the lowly servant Jesus Christ, we must hold up with the other all his marvelously divine perfections.
It makes sense of reality
How can someone cry out, I need thee, precious Jesus, for I am full of sin, if Jesus is a mere man? Or what can he do but judge us if he is only God? The reality of our sin can only be put to right by the Incarnation. We have committed the highest offense against the highest and most worthy Being. But Jesus can both sympathize with our needs and fully atone for our sins. How?
The Son, in putting on the form of a servant, did not lose any of his glorious perfections. He is eternally great. Yet he took to himself a nature that can be stricken and bruised, that can be cursed and forsaken, and that can bleed and die. The Son did not change his divinity into humanity, nor confound the two natures into one, but united the two in one Lord and Savior.
In our family devotions and Christmas sermons, let us not move too quickly past the mystery of the Incarnation. Stay by the manger a little longer on your way to the cross. The two natures of Christ is the force behind the good news for sinners. This mystery confounds us and our listeners, but we proclaim it still!
Updated older article – Christian Parents and the Santa-game
Almost every year since I’ve been a Pastor someone in my church or circle of friends has asked me my opinion about “Santa” when Christmas rolls around. Here’s what I typically tell people…
- First, as Christians we should be the first to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Sounds like a “Duh…” statement, but it needs to be said. We need to much of it… to make much of HIM. HE is what makes us Christ-ian at all, so He should take priority. We should find all kinds of creative ways to do so, to redeem the holiday from the commercialization it has come to represent. Find symbolic meanings for typical Christmas items (trees, lights, stars, angels, decorations, etc.) and tie it all into the real Christmas story in conversation, family times, etc. Make the Christmas traditions MEANINGFUL for what they REALLY mean!
- The way the Santa-game is normally played, parents go to all kinds of elaborate extremes to LIE to their kids. You may not have ever thought of it that way, but take the time to walk it through. Parents – CHRISTIAN parents – go to elaborate extremes to DECEIVE THEIR OWN CHILDREN. They work overtime (late night on Christmas Eve included) to exploit the innocence of their children so that they will believe in a magical, mythical personage called “Santa.” That’s the reality of it… and it’s not consistent with Christianity or the Christ we serve. Why would we LIE to our kids? Don’t we tell them NOT to lie? Don’t we tell them that WE don’t lie? We should set the example of integrity, even in this. I know, I know – Santa is just a “fun” thing that kids love… but the principle still holds true. Telling our kids that Santa is real, when he is not, is a LIE. I know of a grown man, in his 40s who was deeply hurt when he found out (age 12) that Santa was not real. To this day he is still fairly upset about his parents’ “deceit” (his word). He says it’s been hard to learn to trust them since they went “all out” to make Santa seem so real for the first 11 years of his life. You might think he’s a guy who’s just a bit too sensitive, or unstable. He’s not. He’s your average, successful businessman, who loves his wife and kids and serves faithfully in his church. He’s very balanced and very wise. And he’s one of the few people I’ve heard talk about this issue for what it really is – deceit.
- Consider the message you are sending to your kids when you say the following… “Santa is real, and Jesus is real.” First – you are putting the two of them (one a myth, the other a historical and divine PERSON) on equal terms – connected to the same holiday celebration. Second, the day will come when they find out that Santa (as we represent him to our kids in the typical Santa-game) is NOT real. What do you think that does to them when it comes to considering whether Jesus is real? “If mom and dad lied about Santa, why wouldn’t they be lying about Jesus?” At the very least, the way that Jesus and Santa are both held up as “real” by parents who play the Santa-game, would bring unneeded, and possibly faith-harming confusion to their minds.
What does our family DO about Santa then?
- We tell our kids the truth, from day one. Santa is like Mickey Mouse or Luke Skywalker. A fun character who is pretend. Be believe that our kids (and yours for that matter) need to live in light of reality. I’ve written about that before here. Along this line, it would be a fine family time to tell your kids about the REAL St. Nicholas and thank God for such a generous and kind man.
- We used to enjoy the Santa movies, etc. during the holiday season, again emphasizing that it’s pretend and that Christmas is really about Jesus’ birth. The kids enjoyed them – and we enjoyed them. But we kept the perspective as it should be – grounded in reality, not deception. That may still be a viable option for many Christian families, but we’ve turned a corner from there…
- We’ve since changed our family’s convictions about that issue. We no longer have anything to do with Santa. We got rid of all our Santa movies and are still purging our Christmas music collection of Santa-referencing tunes. Why? Because we came across 1 Timothy 4:7 in one of our family Bible times. It instructs believers to have nothing to do with irreverant, silly myths, but rather to train ourselves to be Godly. As we read and discussed that chapter one night in family time, one of my sons asked, “Dad, doesn’t Santa fall into that category?” I could easily say, “Yes” because it seemed so obvious. But I didn’t see what was coming. He said, “Then why do we own Santa-based movies?” Touche. That was a really, really good question. My only answer was, “Because we haven’t thought carefully about that issue.” We all talked about it some more as a family, prayed together about it, and decided together that in order to better train ourselves to be Godly, and to honor Jesus above all, we would get rid of our Christmas stuff that had to do with Santa. All of it. Nobody misses the jolly old elf… really.
- We have chosen NOT to have any Santa decorations in our home. We would rather not see a pretend character everywhere when our goal at Christmas is to focus on a very REAL Savior.
- We don’t do the “Santa” presents under the tree or the milk and cookies thing. We don’t have to be concerned with all that when we tell the truth.
I’m NOT a killjoy. I just love Jesus. More than the fun of pretend. More than any tradition handed down through the family. More than my culture. More than what other parents might think. And I want my family to love Jesus like that too. Christians are to imitate Christ, and in order to do so MUST be people of integrity, no matter the issue. And when it comes to Christmas, we should do so for the much more important reason of honoring our Savior above and beyond anyone else – even Santa.
Poem by 3 of my kids – Christmas Tree
Madeline and Faith made a “countdown” calendar this year, with flaps on each day leading up to Christmas. Underneath each flap is an activity to do together, to help build anticipation for Christmas. Today’s activity was to write a poem about Christmas… so here’s what Melinda (17), Caleb (11), and Faith (7) wrote…
Christmas Tree
by Melinda, Caleb & Faith Green
Slender branches like outstretched arms
reaching to the heavens
The star is up there,
glowing through the dark of the house.
Lights run down
like so many fireflies nestled in her branches.
Floating spheres of color circle around
laughing, dancing, smiling, shining…
Beneath it all – scrumptious gifts
rest in the shelter
reminding me of Jesus – the merciful gift from God.
Dying in my place, that I might live
and give my life to Him.
Now I can grow up,
strong like the tree, with Christ as my life
and herald His coming
just as the start, many years ago.
Prophecies of Hope – Advent 2010 Sermon Audio
You can find “Prophecies of Hope” – Sermon Audio from Sermon #1 of our 2010 Advent Celebration below.
Free Christmas Play Script… again…
A few years back I wrote a Christmas play for our church that was very well received. It’s called “Through Heaven’s Eyes” and approaches the nativity from the perspective of the angels. It is full of scripture and gives a very clear account of the purpose of Jesus’ life (to give Himself for many). For a time it was a free download, but due to economic times and my family’s needs, I’ve decided to ask a modest amount for the download of the play ($2). You can find it for download HERE!
Christians – and Holiday Season Depression
I recently had a person ask me how to deal with the depression that so often besets people 
during the holidays… I thought the question and answer might be helpful to many, so here they are!
Q: The Holidays are a very bad time for me ,I suffer depression,anger,hurt, etc. (In short I dread to see them come & would like to hide in a hole till they are over)! Could you give me some advice & readings on how I can get through this time of the year better & easier? I try to be a good Christian but this time of year is very stressful ! Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated ! Thank You !
- God loves us! So much so, that He sent His Son Jesus to bear the penalty of our sin! That is a tremendous love – that outweighs all other loves AND all disappointments. “If God is FOR us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 – read the whole chapter to re-emphasize this truth in your mind!)
- Jesus took our punishment – there is no more for us to bear! Our guilt is gone and we stand “naked and unashamed” before our Creator! To enable us to be completely free of our sin so that nothing stands in the way of us being WITH God in genuine fellowship is the reason Jesus came as a little baby! It’s ample reason to celebrate!
- Jesus has given us HIS righteousness! When the Father looks at us, He only sees the goodness of Jesus – imputed/given to us as OURS! (2 Corinthians 5:21). Soak yourself in this passage as well, and see how the Lord begins to refresh your spirit with the good news of what He has made of you through Jesus!
- You have a wonderful future ahead, all because of Christ! The eternity that is ahead for believers in Jesus, will far outweigh any difficulties or depressions we face. Our hope is secure and sure! (Colossians 3:4, 1 Timothy 4:10, Hebrews 10:23, Philippians 3:13-15)
- If any of your depression stems from unresolved “wrongs” that have been done to you, go to 1 Peter 2:21-23 and soak in the truth of how Jesus handled the same thing. He was mistreated, but did not do the same in return. Instead He entrusted Himself to the Father, who is ultimately faithful to judge such things. You can rest, assured that God knows, and God will take care of the wrongs done in due time.
- Get out and do something FOR someone else this holiday season. Let the power of Jesus’ life in you reach out to impact somebody else. It’s hard to stay focused on your own sadness when you see others blessed by tangible things you’ve done for them through your faith in Christ. Make this kind of outreach an exciting thing… maybe even doing your best to keep it all completely secret! Become a distributor of Jesus’ grace to those in need – and see what Jesus does with your depression as a result!
- Adopt a new “family” if you need that. You’ve actually been given a new family in the church. Spend time with others who know Jesus well and express His joy. Enjoy the season together, truly celebrating the season of Christ’s arrival to the earth. Make some new memories of Christmas that in time, will help you to overcome the depressive feelings.
