A sermon for Christmas Eve and the conclusion to the “Wonder Women of Advent” series. Luke 1, 2 When I was in seminary I served as a youth pastor at a little church in Ohio that had a tradition of doing a live outdoor nativity scene during the Christmas season. The deal was that the …
Luke 2:21-38 When I was a kid, back in the late 60s and early 70s, there was one event that was the highlight of every fall—when the Sears Wishbook arrived in the mail. For you kids out there, this was before the days of the internet when shopping was actually done in stores and catalogs …
Part II of the Advent series “A Family Christmas” Matthew 1:1-17; Romans 8:12-17 As an adopted child from the 1960s, I don’t know a lot about my birth family. All I’ve been able to glean, in talking to the agency that handled the adoption, is that I was born in a Salvation Army hospital in …
Think Christmas is coming earlier every year? Think again. In fact, we could all use an even earlier Christmas… Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14 Well, it’s finally here. Just a few more hours and it will finally be Christmas. Children will soon be tucked in their beds, visions of Legos and X-Boxes dancing in their heads. …
If Christmas Came Tomorrow: A Sermon for Christmas Eve Continue Reading »
On the day Christians celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas, a look at the history and hagiography surrounding his life can teach us a lot about what it means to live a Christmas life… Titus 2:11-14 The little seaside town of Demre, in Turkey, isn’t exactly the North Pole. It rarely snows there. Palm trees and …
A Christmas Life: The Real Saint Nicholas Continue Reading »
Fourth century church father Gregory of Nazianzus wrote, "God became human and poor for our sake, to raise up our flesh, to recover our divine image, to recreate humanity. We no longer observe distinctions arriving from the flesh, but are to bear within ourselves only the seal of God, by whom and for whom we …
Luke 2:1-20 It’s a familiar scene that we see everywhere at Christmas—a loving mother and a slightly bewildered father, a group of awestruck shepherds, some regal wise men, a few assorted barn animals and, perhaps, a decked out camel – all gathered in a stable to gaze in holy countenance upon a manger and the …
Away from a Manger – A Sermon for Christmas Eve 2011 Continue Reading »
Lorenzo Cortez Vargas is a shepherd. He spends his days and nights driving some 2,000 sheep across miles of vast, empty, rolling high plains in Wyoming and Colorado. He’s a long way from his home in Chile, having come to America under a temporary migrant-worker program that allows companies to hire foreign workers if no …
When I was in seminary I was serving as youth pastor at a church in Ohio that had a tradition of doing a living nativity scene outdoors during the Christmas season. The deal was that the kids would volunteer for half hour shifts sitting out in a makeshift barn we would build out of old …
Christmas Stories: John–The Word Became Flesh Continue Reading »
The way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is a winding and twisty road that takes you outside the bustling city through some well-appointed suburbs. On the way you pass some interesting landmarks. One of the most interesting to me is the Hinnom Valley. Also known as Gehenna. It sits on the southern side of the Old …
Christmas Stories: Luke–Peace Be With You Continue Reading »
a few years back i posted a long series of bad nativity sets. last year i grouped them all into one post, but it was really just a list of links to those older posts — which was unfair to you all. so… this year, i’m grouping all 20 of them into one long post! …
We continue this week with our look at the unique way that each of the four Gospels present their Christmas stories, and I once again offer you my thesis for this series. When we cut through all the sentimental, Christmas card images of Jesus’ nativity and engage the biblical theology and history that the Gospel …
I've noticed that the annual Christian indignation about people saying "Happy Holidays" versus "Merry Christmas" is heating up again. In response, I offer this sermon that I wrote for Homiletics in 2006, which talks about the "War on Christmas" as a battle based on faulty intelligence. Here's hoping it helps us get a better perspective …
Today we begin a new sermon series called “Christmas Stories,” and over the next four Sundays we’re going to be looking at each of the four Gospels and what they say (or don’t say) about the birth of Jesus and what it means for us. One of the convictions I’ve had over the years is …