Many images accompany Christmas — fun and frolic, snow and decorations, laughter and family gatherings — images so ingrained in most people’s minds that they find it difficult to imagine the holiday any other way. Yet, in truth, Christmas only recently became the festive holiday we now cherish. For almost fifteen hundred years, the observation…
“O Holy Night”
Many different traditions hover over our carol repertoire like the stars on Christmas Eve. This one is French, rooted in the music of the nineteenth-century Catholic Church, half-opera, half-soirée, designed to echo cavernously round the gloomy spaces of some vast Gothic church, reverently bellowed by a trained opera singer, all vibrato and shirt frills, accompanied…
My Answer Is Yes
And when God was ready, an angel flew down To a young girl named Mary, in Nazareth’s town. But she’d never seen angel, or fairy, or elf, And she gasped when she saw him, in spite of herself. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You…
What Is Advent?
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. — John 1:9 There are certain signals that reveal Christmas is on its way. Coffee shops add peppermint mochas to their seasonal menus. We start making lists of gifts to buy, and retailers set up elaborate displays to entice us to buy…
It’s Never Too Late to Thank God
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. — Psalm 100:4-5 NIV “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One…
If You’re Happy and You Know It
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today! — Psalm 118:24 ICB How do you show you’re happy? If you’re a cat, you purr. If you’re a dog, you wag your tail. And if you’re a rabbit, you bust out your best binky moves. You read that…
The Original Family Blueprint
Why does sticky webbing come out of his wrists? Why is he a billionaire who uses all his money to fight crime? Why is he in an alternate 1985 with an evil Biff? These are all questions you probably would have if you jumped to the middle of the Spiderman, Batman, and Back to the…
Listen to Him
While He was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” — Matthew 17:5 Many of us share a common fault in our conversations with others. So often, we fail to listen.…
Caregiving: To the Community of Faith
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even…