The name “Christmas” has its origins in the Roman Catholic tradition of having a special mass to commemorate the birth of the Christ. This mass was know as the “Christ Mass” and over time became broadly applied to the...
Things were a political mess when Jesus was born. The Romans, who controlled Palestine at the time of Jesus birth, were constantly pushing back against the subtle current of Jewish subversion and insubordination to Roman rule. There was nothing that...
Christmas is anything but restful. In fact, Christmas is the busiest time of year for many of us. There is shopping to do, family to visit, cookies to bake, turkeys to roast, gifts to wrap, church services to attend, trees to put up, lights to hang...
Mary gets a lot of attention during the Christmas season. Interestingly enough, Mary is hardly a main character in the life and ministry of Jesus. Of all the times she’s mentioned in the Bible (which aren’t that many), she’s mentioned most during...
One of the reasons Isaiah is known as the “Prince of the Prophets” is because he foretold the coming of the Messiah more than any other prophet. His prophecies are even at the heart of the Christmas story in the Gospel according to Matthew. This...
For Christians, Christmas is all about the story of Jesus’ birth. It is the story of the birth of the most significance person in human history; the story of the birth of the King of the universe, the very Son of God, Creator of heaven and...
The Christmas story reminds us of the great relief of innocence and humility. That Christ comes to us in the form of a soft, helpless, and innocent baby restores in our hearts the truth that God is more powerful than human manipulation, oppression...
No one simply stumbles onto Jesus. There are always signposts to Jesus. There is always someone (or something) pointing the way to Jesus. We see this in the birth narrative of Jesus. For the Maggi, it’s the star. Even the cosmos point the way...
Note to the Reader This post is longer than usual, but its length testifies to its importance. Jesus was born during a time of high political and racial tension. For starters, first-century Palestinian Jews were divided among themselves concerning...
Just a few weeks ago, my wife said to me, “Every time someone watches a Christmas movie before Thanksgiving, an elf kills a reindeer.” She feels pretty strongly about when the Christmas season does and does not begin. As for me, I’m ready to put up...