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A wailing scream pierces the air. The new mother cries tears of sheer exhaustion and joy. The father stands speechless, astounded, holding a wriggly bundle in his arms. Mom and dad lock eyes and they silently ask each other, “What should we name him?”

After the rebellion and subsequent fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden God chose not to abandon us but rather continued to reveal that He is... 

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Several years ago, I hosted a neighborhood Christmas luncheon. When I got out my decorations, I asked myself, “What message do I want to give to the women as they come into my home?” Decorating is work; I wanted it to be meaningful! Over the years, I had collected a bunch of odds and ends stuff—mostly things given to me by my mom, our kids, or found in the attics of houses we bought. Recalling a book I read years ago called The Gifts of Christmas by Rachel Hartman, I remembered the author had taken the parts of the biblical Christmas story and considered them to be gifts (music, wonder, love…). Then, she related each gift to the traditions we have for celebrating Christmas. Her book had seven gifts—too many for me to use! So, I took three of the gifts—love, life, and joy— and put my decorations in groups matching the gift along with a descriptive card.

Title:Jesus, the eternal King
Aim: To recognize that Jesus is the eternal King of heaven and earth.
Scripture: Revelation 1:1–20
 
The apostle’s opening greeting, Revelation 1:1–8
 

“Advent” means arrival. This season looks ahead to Christmas, the miracle of God’s entrance into our world. We anticipate the baby born to die to redeem us from our sin.

Although Jesus arrived in a broken world marked by rebellion, division, and sorrow, the Jews found hope in a wealth of prophecies that the promised Messiah was indeed coming to deliver them from the darkness.

A few weeks ago, I spent a few days in Phoenix at a church planters conference.  The conference was designed to help encourage current and future church planters.  The theme of the conference was “Move”.  For future church planters, it means don’t just stand there, get going and do what God has called you to do, go plant a church.  For current church planters, it means to move in a way that would make your church grow or make a greater impact in the community that God has you in.  

With apologies to those who have always held her in high regard, I’ve always felt a bit squeamish about focusing on Mary, the mother of Jesus.

There is a moment in the 1985 sci-fi movie Cocoon that has haunted me for 25 years now. Senior citizens discover that the water in the pool they’ve been swimming in has a marvelously rejuvenating effect on them. Aliens have stashed the cocoon pods of their cohorts in the bottom of the pool of a rented house, awaiting return to the mother ship.

These aliens are light-filled, radiant creatures who cover themselves in human skin to pass as one of us.

What brings you joy at Christmas? Of course, there are the usual answers: presents, fun decorations, and yummy foods. But looking deeper, what brings long lasting joy?

While reading through the Christmas story recently, I was struck by how often the word “joy” (and its synonyms) appears. The fingerprints of joy appear everywhere, permeating the whole story.

Consider for example:

Christmas has a way of poking around in the shadows of my heart, unearthing the inner Ebenezer. “Bah! Humbug,” she snarls with a stiffened gait. Oh, Holy Spirit, lead me to Christmas Past – the first Advent. Guide me like those awe-struck shepherds – to the scene of revelation. To the trough where a newborn baby whimpered in the night. Wash my soul with wonder as I ponder the mystery of an uncontainable God slipping into skin and skeleton to make his dwelling among people and destroy the works of the devil.