Category: Holidays (Page 2 of 3)

I often wonder what Jesus would say if he rolled into town today. I wonder what he would say if he rolled into our church gatherings, our communities, or our homes.

Today is the first day of a new year. 2022 is behind us and 2023 is ahead of us. As a holiday, New Year’s has always intrigued me because it is an annual reminder to set new goals for your life for the next year.

The Christmas season is here! A week from today we will all wake up and celebrate the birth of our Savior. Jesus, was born to live the perfect life, unstained by sin; he was born to die on a cross in our place as the perfect ransom for our sin; he was born to miraculously leave the tomb empty, three days later, proving that Satan, Sin, and Death were no match for him; and he was also born to ascend into Heaven to take his seat at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, leaving us with the promise of salvation and eternity with him, if we confess our sins and place our faith in him.

The Christmas season is upon us! Two weeks from today, families all over the world, will celebrate the birth of Jesus together. It really is a beautiful season, and I look forward to it every year. I look forward to things like family gatherings, gift giving, the lights, the music, and especially the food.

The passage before us today is full of contrast and provision. The contrast between the wickedness of King Herod and the worshipful obedience of the wise men and Joseph is a stark and sobering reality that we see being played out in the world around us on a daily basis.

This passage of Scripture is Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus; it is the perfect Christmas Eve passage because it clearly outlines some of the most important things about Jesus’ first advent or his coming to this earth.

Have you experienced the tension of the family tree at Christmas? One of the things I both love and hate about the Christmas season is the gift of family! Please catch my drift, it’s not that I hate family at all; it’s that I hate some of the drama and the disfunction and the negative emotions and experiences that come with being part of a family.

What is the theological importance of Jesus’ resurrection? Simply put, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, as believed by the church throughout history, fits together as the central truth of Christianity without which the Christian faith is worthless.

The passage in front of us today has often been referred to as the Christmas story. Many Christians over the years have made a tradition out of reading this story on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. It’s a beautiful story of the birth of Jesus. But let’s not forget that Jesus wasn’t born into an American cultural context.

The Christmas season is a beautiful time of the year. It’s probably my favorite season of the entire year. All of the lights, laughter, joy, Christmas movies, family get-togethers, food and gift giving… Christmas really is a beautiful season. But it’s also a season where some of our deepest unmet desires and struggles are brought to the surface.