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The Real Christmas Story (Revised & Updated)

This post was originally published on December 23, 2008.  I have updated the story a bit and thought is was worth posting again.  So, here goes, and Merry Christmas!

Every year in our family, we recount the Christmas story. Some years we do it with music, other years we read a story book, and one year the kids put on a puppet show complete with music! This year, we’re going back to the source of the story, and the source of all knowledge and wisdom, the Word of God. I thought I would share it with you.  The story itself is fairly long, but God’s story is worth the time!

Biblical passages are all footnoted.  As best I recall, all biblical passage are from the ESV.  Originally, this story was comprised only of passages directly from the Bible.  I have updated it to include some transitional statements between verses.  These are shown in italics.

The story of Christmas started a long long time ago.  In fact, the story of Christmas began with the beginning of time. Continue Reading…

Do You Hear What I Hear?

To kick off this Christmas season, Tim Hawking recalls what happened when he tried to sing a classic Christmas song.

What I Am I Thankful For This Year?

I saw this yesterday, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought I would share it with you.  It shouldn’t be funny, but it kind of is.  Enjoy!

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New Year's Resolutions

Every year millions of people all around the world ring in the New Year with resolutions.  We vow to start doing this or stop doing that, and everything seems right with the world for about a week – maybe two.  Then, inevitably, something goes wrong with our resolutions and we revert back to our old habits and ways and give no more thought to our resolutions until next year roles around.  So this year, rather than make more resolutions, I thought I would offer up a New Year’s prayer.  Acknowledging that, in myself, I am not capable of keeping resolutions, but with God all things are possible, here are my resolutions/prayers for the coming year:

Dear God, please help me…

  • …to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer.
  • …to shine your light to a darkened world.
  • …to remember in all situations that I am your child.
  • …to serve you as an ambassador in this world.
  • …to recognize that I am chosen by you.
  • …to teach my children your word and about you that they may know all that you have done for me.
  • …to live every day to bring glory to your name.
  • …to model you to the kids you have entrusted to me both in my home and at church.
  • …to never lose sight of my spiritual journey with you.
  • …to make the time to spend with you each day in your Word and in prayer.
  • …to turn to you in times of trouble.
  • …to praise you in times of excess.
  • …to be the husband that you intended me to be to my wife.
  • …to teach your word in such a way that little ears would hear and little hearts would understand.
  • …to be bold in proclaiming you to others.
  • …to love you with all my heart, all my mind, all my strength and all my soul!

Continue Reading…

Santa Claus and Children’s Ministry (Children’s Ministry Think Tank)

think-childrens-ministry

In case you missed it earlier this month, the latest Children’s Ministry Think Tank was just published over at Ministry-to-Children.com. I was going to promote it then, but I didn’t want to interrupt the whole Christmas Carol Advent The Think Tank got into the Christmas spirit this month to have a look at what Santa has to do with the holiday. I contributed my thoughts to the question again this installment along with several others involved in Children’s Ministry.

The question for this installment was:

How do you handle the whole issue of Santa Claus in your ministry? How would you redirect a group of children at church who are debating his existence? What advice would you give Christan parents & grandparents about Santa?

Continue Reading…

December 25 – It’s About the Cross (A Christmas Carol Advent)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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History

This song was written and performed by Go Fish and appears on their Christmas album called Snow which was released in 2006.  We actually kicked off our Christmas Song Advent with a Go Fish song (Christmas With A Capital “C”) and it seems appropriate to end with this one which reminds us that Christmas may be about the birth of Christ, but in the end we must never lose sight of the cross!

Commentary & Analysis

This song isn’t as well known, but I couldn’t think of a better way to finish off this Christmas Carol Advent than with this song from Go Fish.  This song reminds us, on Christmas Day, that this holiday is actually quite secondary to the death and resurrection of Christ.  Over the last 25 days, we have looked at a number of songs celebrating the manger, the angels, the shepherds and the wise men.  Those are an integral part of Christmas celebration, but we should never lose sight of the cross of Christ where God paid the penalty for our sins so that we could be reconciled to him forever.  It’s about accepting him as our Lord and savior so that we can, through his death, be born again into the kingdom of God.  While we celebrate a babe born in the straw, we must remember the stone that was rolled away to find an empty tomb “so we can have real life someday.”  The second set of verses turns from the traditional, and biblical facets of Christmas, to remind us that the current trimmings (family, presents, snow, decorations and the feelings they all elicit), while nice are also not what Christmas is really about.  No matter how much we enjoy Christmas, and we should, we have to remember that it is only the beginning of Christ’s time on earth, and it was the end of his time here that gives us the opportunity at eternal life.

Continue Reading…

December 24 – Silent Night (A Christmas Carol Advent)

1 MORE DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

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History

Silent Night was penned in German (Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) by the Austrian Priest Father Joseph Mohr.  The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, and the song was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818.

Commentary & Analysis

This is one of my favorite Christmas Carols and one of my favorite songs of all time.  Interestingly, the whole idea behind this song, a “silent night” is not addressed anywhere in the Bible.  There is no indication of atmosphere when Christ was born.  More likely, the phrase “silent night, holy night” is based on the nature of God based on passages like 1 Kings 19:11-12 when God showed himself to Elijah:

Continue Reading…

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