December 21, 2011
The fab five family of mine have really enjoyed reading this article on “Who was St. Nicholas?” Highlights the man, myths, and, yes, mushrooms for gifts. Yep. Ever wonder where some of the folklore surrounding Santa Claus came from? The North Pole, chimney’s, stockings, and Kris Kringle… Hey, I thought this guy’s name was St. Nicholas?
Then enjoy the read… and please, no mushrooms as a gift.
December 24, 2010
From C.H. Spurgeon (as posted by Ray Ortlund)…
“‘Immanuel, God with us.’ It is hell’s terror. Satan trembles at the sound of it. . . . Let him come to you suddenly, and do you but whisper that word, ‘God with us,’ back he falls, confounded and confused. . . . ‘God with us’ is the laborer’s strength. How could he preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labor if that one word were taken away? . . . ‘God with us’ is eternity’s sonnet, heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of the angels, the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky. . . .
Feast, Christians, feast; you have a right to feast. . . . But in your feasting, think of the Man in Bethlehem. Let him have a place in your hearts, give him the glory, think of the virgin who conceived him, but think most of all of the Man born, the Child given.
I finish by again saying, A happy Christmas to you all!”
C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of the Old Testament (London, n.d.), III:430.
Keving DeYoung has a discenring post on St. Nicholas and Jesus Christ at Christmas time… click here.
Jim Hamilton can help you understand how the Christmas story contributes to God’s glory… click here.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
December 9, 2010
So what do you think Atlanta Road Alliance Church choir? Want to give it a go??
December 24, 2009
Preaching on Isaiah 7:14, C. H. Spurgeon said this about Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel:
“God with us.” It is hell’s terror. Satan trembles at the sound of it; the black-winged dragon of the pit quails before it. Let him come to you suddenly, and do you but whisper that word, “God with us,” back he falls, confounded and confused. “God with us” is the laborer’s strength; how could he preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labor, if that one word were taken away? “God with us” is the sufferer’s comfort, the balm of his woe, the alleviation of his misery, the sleep which God gives to his beloved, their rest after exertion and toil. “God with us” is eternity’s sonnet, heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of angels, the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky.
December 22, 2009
An evangelistic short film (10 minutes) from St. Helen’s Bishopgate in London. It features New Testament scholar Paul Barnett. Did the Christmas event really happen? Find out…
December 22, 2009
For the answer as to why X is used in Xmas (and really doesn’t mean disrespect), read this from RC Sproul.
Facing family tensions this Christmas? Click here for some wise guidance.
Want some practical tips on sharing Christ this Christmas? Click here.
If this was too short of a post for you… it’s because I’m helping my wife clean the bathrooms! How’s that for multi-tasking!
December 20, 2009
December 14, 2009
The following below was for a bulletin insert I write at our church called The Pilgrim’s Pen. Enjoy! …
In the flavor of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, the following is a letter, from a senior demon to his demon nephew concerning an important Christmas topic… Santa Claus.
My dear Wormwood,
We really can make a mess of Christmas. Of course, it’s a horrid thing to use that word. I shall refer to it as the “Season” instead. You mentioned in your last letter that the patient, who has become a follower of the Enemy, is continuing to attend a local church. But, you have failed to see the opportunity that is upon us. I tell you to pay attention to the details! Your patient is the father of two young unregenerates (more on our plan with them in another letter), and naturally he will be dealing with the subject of “Santa Claus”. Oh, how us senior demons have fun with him in this Season!
Now, there are two ways to go about this: First, use
Santa Claus as our “distracting” tool. We don’t want them to focus on the Enemy, or anything concerning what happened on that despicable day over 2,000 years ago! Distract them. Get your patient in an argument with his spouse, who seems to be adamant about leaving Santa Claus out of the whole Season all together. Get him to think that it’s “no big deal” to believe in Santa Claus. It’s wonderful isn’t it? Our fictional man steals the very attributes of our Enemy. “He knows when you are sleeping” or awake, as the song goes, “he knows if you’ve been bad or good”… it’s wickedly perfect!
However, if your patient happens to realize that there was a real historical person named St. Nicholas, and that Santa Claus comes from the Dutch name Sinterklass, you need him to become the sort of person that looks down on those who keep Santa Claus in their seasonal traditions. Not only do we want to cause distraction, or confusion, but our aim is division! What an opportunity to divide those within their local church. Make your patient and wife the snobbish sort that they are better than those who have fun with Santa Claus. Make them believe in their own righteousness. I drool over the thought!
It’s a win-win my nephew. Either make them believe in Santa, so the Enemy is never even mentioned, or get them to be self-righteous snobs, who look down on everyone. Because, above all, we don’t want them focusing on the Enemy and what he really came to do. And we don’t want them knowing the real historical story about St. Nicholas, who actually was an ardent follower of the Enemy. No, no my nephew. Remember three important words… distract, confuse, and divide. If you succeed at this, of course, you’ll have to give me all the credit.
Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape
December 3, 2009
John Piper’s wife answers the question, “What is Advent?” A good reminder.
We are a people of promise. For centuries, God prepared people for the coming of his Son, our only hope for life. At Christmas we celebrate the fulfillment of the promises God made—that he would give a way to draw near to him.
Advent is what we call the season leading up to Christmas. It begins four Sundays before December 25, sometimes in the last weekend of November, sometimes on the first Sunday in December. This year it was November 29.
1 Peter 1:10-12 is a clear description of what we look back to during Advent.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12 )
For four weeks, it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation, for Jesus. That’s what advent means—coming. Even God’s men who foretold the grace that was to come didn’t know “what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.” They were waiting, but they didn’t know what God’s salvation would look like.
In fact, God revealed to them that they were not the ones who would see the sufferings and glory of God’s Christ:
They were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
They were serving us. We Christians on this side of Jesus’ birth are a God-blessed, happy people because we know God’s plan. The ancient waiting is over. We have the greatest reason to celebrate.
(Adapted from Treasuring God in Our Traditions)
December 25, 2008
One brief Christmas comment that my daughter said today…
We are at a family gathering and someone said to her that Santa was real. She knew that he wasn’t (we don’t do the Santa thing) and she said a real profound thing. “Daddy, I’m glad he’s not real because if he was, we would all be getting coal. We’re all sinners.”
Out of the mouth of babes! I’m so glad that Jesus is better than Santa… “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37
Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2008
Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven.
~Martin Luther
December 24, 2007
As promised, a couple of posts ago…… Merry Christmas!!
December 3, 2007
I’m not sure what some of your families do for advent season up to Christmas, but it’s a wonderful tradition you can start with your kids. It’s great because it actually causes you all to pause and reflect on Christ’s birth together as a way to protect you from the busy-ness of the season. It’s simple to do too. There’s no set way really. Just choose a portion of Scripture related to Christ’s birth and read it. That’s the foundation of the time together. You can also pray together as a family and sing a few carols. Kids usually love that. Of course, make it short, fun, interactive, and be flexible. For our family, at the end we usually light a candle of four that lead up to Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, all of the candles will be lit. As for the Scripture, you can read from Isaiah 9 or work your way through the beginning of Luke. There are also some helpful aids out there like this book that might be helpful. Joy to the world the Lord is come!
December 3, 2007
This Christmas season there is the danger to let the worldliness of prosperity creep into the joy of Christmas. With all the busy activities of shopping, dinners and travel it so easy to let those things consume us. It can be the silent thief of the month robbing the joy that comes on meditating on the significance of Christ coming to this fallen world. It can rob you of actually listening to what the words really mean in some of our most favorite Christmas carols.
I find within myself that this battle rages. I need to be careful that I don’t prioritize holiday activities over my time with the Lord, or look to the superficial joys of this season for happiness rather than the truth of God’s Word.
C.H. Spurgeon aptly writes on the dangers of posterity to keep in mind this season:
“But another testing moment is prosperity. Oh! there have been some of God’s people, who have been more tried by prosperity than by adversity. Of the two trials, the trial of adversity is less severe to the spiritual man than that of prosperity. It is a terrible thing to be prosperous. You had need to pray to God, not only to help you in your troubles, but to help you in your blessings. Mr. Whitfield once [requested prayer] for a young man who had– stop, you will think it was for a young man who had lost his father or his property. No! ‘The prayers of the congregation are desired for a young man who has become heir to an immense fortune, and who feels he has need of much grace to keep him humble in the midst of riches.’ That is the kind of prayer that ought to be put up; for prosperity is a hard thing to bear.”
Think about it since we live in such a prosperous nation…
