It’s His party, but you can come if you want to, even if, like a football poseur at a Super Bowl party, you forget the cause of the fun.Christmas is not for Christians, it is for the Lord Christ, and Jesus is merry. He loves all people, so if you are not a Christian: “Welcome to the . . . . Continue Reading »
My normal inclinations lead me to conclude 2001: A Space Odyssey. But today my opinion has changed. No longer is it a Star Wars or Star Trek movie. Not one of The Matrix trilogy. Nor is it a “B” movie with Leslie Nielsen. Nope. None of the . . . . Continue Reading »
A meditation on what the incarnation means for you and me:An unspeakably great, unexplorable divine mystery is at the bottom of all this. God’s holiness and righteousness must shut the doors of heaven to us sinners, and He knows that neither we ourselves nor any creature in heaven or on earth . . . . Continue Reading »
This is the final post in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,His power and glory Evermore proclaim.His power and glory Evermore proclaim.The carol ends on a note of proclamation, its fourth . . . . Continue Reading »
This is Pastor Paul Gerhardt’s great Christmas hymn. It first appeared in a collection of hymns published in Leipzig by Johann Crüciger in 1653, with the tune that Crüciger specifically prepared for it. The hymn is a sermon on the meaning of Christmas, and a deeply devotional . . . . Continue Reading »
This is the eleventh part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,Let all within us Praise His holy name.The third response to the gospel in O Holy Night is deeply rooted praise from a joyful . . . . Continue Reading »
When pondering the nativity, I’ve heard much made of the fact that the manger is a place of great humility for the King of Kings to be found, and rightly so. I’ve seldom given much thought, however, to what the manger was —- a feeding place for animals.There’s little evidence . . . . Continue Reading »
What ought to be a time of meditative joy and happy celebration has become a time for combat. December, say scores of the faithful, is a time for war—the Christmas wars. Happy holidays is denounced as a godless substitute for Merry Christmas. The Christmas wars are now as much a part of the season as mistletoe and reindeer…
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This is the tenth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;And in His name All oppression shall cease.I’ve heard from a couple of readers of this series that these are their favorite . . . . Continue Reading »
I am thinking a lot this Christmas about the fact that for many people, more than would ever be willing to admit openly, there is very little, “merry” about Christmas. They are caught up in personal troubles and situations that are causing them intense pain and anguish of heart and mind, . . . . Continue Reading »
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