Christmas

The Advent Season: Not Just Christmas

Harry Reeder
Dec 16, 2016
Early in my pastoral ministry a thoughtful young man came with an interesting question while our congregation was in the midst of celebrating the Advent season. The question arose from a hymn sung during a Lord's Day worship service. The hymn was the Isaac Watts classic "Joy to the World." The...

The Soul Felt Its Worth

Aaron Denlinger
Dec 14, 2016
We all wrestle with feeling worthless at some time or another. The world imputes value to individuals, whether it admits such or not, on the basis of gender, race, age, physical appearance, profession, possessions, income, intelligence, accomplishments, character traits, ability to make others...

A God Thing

David Garner
Nov 15, 2016
Exuberant over an experience, an oh-so-sweet manifestation of divine providence, you delightedly seek to give God praise in telling your story. “It was such a ‘God thing’,” you proclaim. As you see it, God wove together an otherwise inexplicable combination of events to deliver a wonderful—even...

The New Testament's Use of the Old Testament: The Birth of Christ

Jeffrey Stivason
Dec 24, 2015
Have you ever wondered why Matthew quotes Isaiah in the opening chapter of his Gospel? [1] Perhaps you would say, "Of course not! We already know why. The quote substantiates the virgin conception and birth of Christ!" Yes, but is that the only reason? Again, you may claim, "Isn't that reason...

The End of Christmas

Scott Oliphint
Dec 15, 2015
One Christmas season our family went to see the "Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was an enjoyable show, in spite of all the secular trappings and symbols that have come to characterize Christmas. The most fascinating part of the program, however, comes at the...

The End of Christmas

Scott Oliphint
Dec 15, 2015
One Christmas season our family went to see the "Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was an enjoyable show, in spite of all the secular trappings and symbols that have come to characterize Christmas. The most fascinating part of the program, however, comes at the...

The Mystery of the Incarnation

Joseph Pipa
Dec 16, 2013
Many things in life fill us with wonder; our world is full of profound mysteries, but the greatest mystery of all is the mystery of the incarnation. One of the profoundest statements of this mystery is 1 Timothy 3:16: "And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed...

Never Always Winter

Scott Oliphint
Dec 9, 2013
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , C. S. Lewis describes Narnia as a place where it is "always winter, but never Christmas." This is a perfect way to explain to a child (and to the rest of us) what cold despair and degradation look like. "Always winter"-- everything is frozen, dead, unable...

Never Always Winter

Scott Oliphint
Dec 9, 2013
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , C. S. Lewis describes Narnia as a place where it is "always winter, but never Christmas." This is a perfect way to explain to a child (and to the rest of us) what cold despair and degradation look like. "Always winter"-- everything is frozen, dead, unable...

The Word Became Flesh

Rick Phillips Articles
Dec 22, 2012
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory" (Jn. 1:14). Our Christmas celebrations are like Israel's exodus from Egypt. This great migration took on a beautiful splendor, as Israel was laden with the treasures of the Nile, just as our Advent season glitters in red and...