Christmas
Happy Birthday to Jesus!
Friday, December 25th, 2009We Celebrate the Birth of Christ
In the season of Advent we have used the Advent wreath and its candles to help us get ready for this great celebration of the birth of Christ.
When we lit the first purple candle, we asked God to come and be our Good Shepherd. God our Shepherd has come in […]
A Strange, Sad Christmas Irony
Friday, December 4th, 2009Check out this story from Reuters: “Competitive Britons send nativity costs soaring.” Here’s a cheery excerpt:
Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain’s competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity play.
The rise in so-called […]
The Inevitable, Ironic Pandemonium in Christmas Eve Worship
Monday, December 29th, 2008This year my family and I joined a Christmas Eve worship service at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Burbank, California. My sister-in-law and her family are part of this church, so we joined them on Christmas Eve.
The service was quite fine. We sang several beloved Christmas carols, including: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Away in […]
A Few More Christmas Images
Saturday, December 27th, 2008Adults like Christmas, but children love Christmas. During my family’s Christmas celebration, I had fun watching my youngest nephew, Brody. He’s two years old, and a lover of Christmas, naturally.
Brody examines his new bus closely.
Brody tries to destroy, uh, err, plays with my mom’s Christmas village.
The nativity set in front of our house in Texas. […]
Some Christmas Images
Friday, December 26th, 2008Just for fun, here are some photos of Christmas celebrations.
Fireworks mark the conclusion of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade.
Santa shows up at my father-in-law’s house on Christmas Eve. We all loved it. Too bad my son, Nathan, wasn’t there, for some reason. Recently, he always seems to miss out on Santa’s visits.
My daughter enjoys […]
Happy Birthday to Jesus? The Date of Christmas
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Tomorrow is Christmas Day, the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. But is December 25th really Jesus’ birthday? Many people, including faithful Christians, skeptics, and scholars, answer this question in the negative. In fact, there are quite a few Christians who do not celebrate Christmas, in part because they believe that December 25 isn’t […]
My Favorite Christmas Tree
Saturday, December 20th, 2008I’m a Christmas tree fanatic. I admit it. I love Christmas trees . . . their look, their feel, and their heavenly smell. So, as you can imagine, I’m not much into artificial trees, though I don’t criticize my friends who have sold out . . . um, well . . . decided to go […]
It Isn’t Advent, But It’s a Great Pre-Christmas Tradition
Saturday, December 6th, 2008For the past few days I’ve been weighing in on Advent, explaining it and recommending it for those who are seeking a closer relationship with God and a deeper experience of Christmas. Today I want to change gears and recommend another pre-Christmas tradition. This one isn’t especially Christian, and it certainly doesn’t have anything to […]
Final Christmas Photos
Saturday, January 5th, 2008From the family worship service on Christmas Eve at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. Angels we have heard on high . . . .
From Balboa Island near Newport Beach, California. Now those are some Christmas lights, don’t you think? This is my photo. For more photos and video clips of this amazing house, check […]
A Strange Christmas
Monday, December 31st, 2007This has been a strange Christmas for me and my family. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that we moved from California to Texas a few months ago. I left Irvine Presbyterian Church after sixteen and a half years as Senior Pastor to join the staff of Laity Lodge. My […]
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007May God give you a blessed and joyful Christmas
as you celebrate the Incarnation of the Word!
BALDUNG GRIEN, Hans
Nativity
1520
Oil on wood, 105,5 x 70,4 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Image c/o Web Gallery of Art
What a striking painting of the entry of the Son of God into a broken, ruined world. He comes for the healing of all […]
Christmas Resources
Monday, December 24th, 2007I’m putting up links to several Christmas and related resources. I’m doing this, in part, for listeners of the Hugh Hewitt radio show. Today Hugh and I will be talking about Christmas together, and the resources to which I’m linking are related to our on-the-air conversation.
On the Historicity of the Gospel Accounts of Jesus’s Birth
The […]
Christmas Devotion: The Lighting of the Christ Candle
Monday, December 24th, 2007Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
[Re-light the three purple candles and the pink candle]
We Celebrate the Birth of Christ
In the season of Advent we have used the Advent wreath and its candles to help us get ready for this great celebration of the birth of Christ.
When we lit the first purple candle, we asked God to […]
Speaking of Musicians After God’s Own Heart . . . Let Me Introduce Jeff Johnson, Brian Dunning, and Gwen Franz
Thursday, November 29th, 2007Part 8 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I wrote about meeting Brian Moss, a musician “after God’s own heart.” Earlier this week at Laity Lodge I added three more musicians to my list of talented artists who seek God’s glory in all they […]