We have in our minds a very romantic view of the nativity. A little shed like structure with a light shining down on it with a single narrow beam. Joseph and Mary are there, looking pensively at the manger. It is full to overflowing with clean straw. In the background Read more…
There is no greater praise than the adoration delivered by Mary as she proclaimed what we call the “Magnificat.” Found in Luke 1:46-55, the Magnificat reveals the depth of why Mary declares her praise of God, and it is both personal and historic. First, the personal. My soul proclaims the Read more…
The wise men gave Jesus the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each of these three gifts correspond to aspects of Jesus’s identity and redemptive mission in the world. The gold is symbolic of Jesus’s royalty. Jesus wasn’t the King of an earthly empire, but the King of the cosmos. Read more…
One of the most mind-blowing, inexplicable aspects of the Christmas-commemorating incarnation of God in Jesus is that the mysteriously terrifying yet fascinating holiness of God is wrapped up in innocent, gentle, weak human flesh. The terrifying holiness of God has been translated into a baby in a manger. The Old Read more…
At Christmas time we celebrate that God became incarnate in Jesus Christ and walked amongst us. This is an amazing, world-altering idea. God in flesh. For years before Jesus, if you wanted to be in God’s presence you would have to go to the temple. The temple was the normative Read more…
C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, reflects on Jesus’s incarnation with this: “Did you ever think, when you were a child, what fun it would be if your toys could come to life? Well suppose you could really have brought them to life. Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real Read more…
God is more interested in your holiness than your happiness. This goes against the grain of common culture. Common culture tells us to pursue happiness. Pursue your dreams. Aim high. Shoot for the stars. Do what makes you happy. Only pursue a career that will leave you fulfilled. “Do what Read more…
Not long ago I visited the State Tretyakov art Gallery in Moscow. On display were hundreds of works of art ranging from Ivan Aivazovsky’s (1817–1900) masterful seascapes, to Orest Kipreksy’s (1782–1836) famous portrait of Alexander Pushkin, Alexander Gerasimov’s (1881–1963) depictions of soviet realism, and Vassily Maximov’s (1844–1911), paintings of late Read more…
We cannot accept the Gift of Christmas without first humbling ourselves. It’s hard keeping the balance between the technicalities and complexities of theology with the reality that the mysteries of God are comprehensible even to a child. I believe the resolve to this tension is the reality that the Holy Read more…
There are two kings in the story of Jesus’s birth: (1) Caesar Augustus, and (2) Jesus. These are two very different kinds of kings, but they have a bit in common. Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man in the civilized world at the time of Jesus’s birth. Roman rule Read more…