Seek and Share
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”” (Matthew 2:1–2) Years ago, when my kids […]
Waiting for Christmas
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25) I’m not a philosopher, so not sure why, but waiting seems easier for people now than it used to be. The average age of […]
Believe this Christmas
“But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.” (Luke 1:7, CSB) When Chris and I started a family, Christmas became very important to us. We love tradition and seeing our kids learn to love those same traditions. Now we’re empty nesters and sometimes the […]
Present in Bethlehem
This Sunday begins Advent. That word, advent word comes from the Latin verb “to come.” It’s church shorthand for Adventus Domini…the coming of the Lord. As a kid, I thought it was the name of a Christmas countdown calendar that had chocolate hidden in little secret doors. But, it IS a type of countdown. In […]
Immanuel
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah gave this prophecy seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Immanuel. The description of the coming Messiah was to be “God with us.” The impetus for this sermons […]
A Child is Born
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) God’s promise is spoken of in terms of a birth. This was a way in which God had chosen, in Israel’s past, to show his dramatic intervention in human history…three pivotal points […]
God with Us
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and was thought to be the home of gods. The twelve Olympians, with Zeus at their head, made their dwelling atop this great mountain…high above the average man, often above the clouds, far away from the grinding lives of mortals. In this, the Greeks are no different […]
Delivering the Miraculous
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6–7) The tidings of comfort and joy we’re discussing is the […]
Conceiving the Miraculous
“The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) The tidings of comfort and joy we’re discussing is the idea of the Grand Miracle, Jesus’ incarnation. […]
Do You See what I See?
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had […]
God Moves Deliberately
“And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) God’s in the business of meeting needs: When Adam and Eve discovered they were unclothed…God made them coverings from animal skins When the world needed saving from a flood, God gave us Noah When Abraham needed […]
God Moves Personally
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means God with us.” (Matt. 2:23) Monday was Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. December 7, 1941 is a day that will live in infamy – the vicious attack led our nation to war. We had […]
