OPENING QUESTIONS Most of us have very specific memories about the Christmas season, both positive and negative. What are some of those positive memories? How would you describe the best Christmas you ever had as a child? What made it special for you? Do you still look forward to the Christmas season? If so, what…
Show Me the Way, God!
I’m the answer to your prayer. That’s why I was sent down here. — Clarence the Angel, after George tells him “I got a bust in the jaw in answer to a prayer.” When George Bailey sidles up to Martini’s Bar on Christmas Eve, he’s at the lowest point of his life. In the span of only a few hours,…
The Legend of St. Nicholas
Nick followed his dad through the snow-dusted parking lot. “Not my idea of fun,” he muttered. “Hey, you’re the one who waited until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts for your little brothers,” Dad reminded him. “True,” Nick admitted. Why was it so much easier to think about getting gifts than giving them?…
Because of Bethlehem: God Has a Face
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. — John 1:14 MSG The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons Video: God…
Your Christmas Story
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. — Luke 1:26-27 What if Joseph and Mary had shown up in furs with a…
3 Christmas Bible Studies for Advent [Free Videos]
Is your small group or Sunday school class looking for Christmas Bible Studies? The Advent season is a time to get ready and prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Doing a Christmas Bible Study is a chance to build up in anticipation of the grand event, and to dive deeper…
The Case for Christmas: Setting the Record Straight
The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. ~ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Introduction Holidays just bring out the best in us. Whether it’s roses and chocolates for Valentine’s Day, or baskets of candy for Easter, or flags and fireworks for the Fourth of July, we love…
How to Make It Through the Holidays When You Don’t Feel Very Grateful
It’s that time of year again. Pumpkins are put away, Christmas décor in beginning to fill the stores, and there’s one more big Holiday to celebrate before the Christmas jingles hit the airwaves – Thanksgiving. As Christians we know we are supposed to “give thanks is all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and “give thanks to…
Who Was in the Manger on That First Christmas Morning?
The Chicago Tribune newsroom was eerily quiet on the day before Christmas. As I sat at my desk with little to do, my mind kept wandering back to a family I had encountered a month earlier while I was working on a series of articles about Chicago’s neediest people. The Delgados — sixty-year-old Perfecta and…
The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi: Bethlehem
Where It All Began So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While…