Stuart Briscoe, in Christianity Today, The spirit of Christmas needs to be superceded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is […]
Read More Today’s Quote – Christmas (Briscoe)Christmas isn’t about babies. Or gifts. Or giving. Or sacrifice. Or thankfulness. Or in songs. Or family. Or tradition. Christmas is about death. More specifically, Christmas is about the death of Christ. That is to say, Christmas is about the gospel. The Christian faith demands clarity about many things. But it demands that we must […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (12/21/08)Charles Colson, A Dangerous Grace, When God wanted to defeat sin, his ultimate weapon was the sacrifice of his own Son. On Christmas Day two thousand years ago, the birth of a tiny baby in an obscure village in the Middle East was God’s supreme triumph of good over evil.
Read More Today’s Quote – Christmas (Colson)Multiple times each day over the past week or so, I have been asked, “do you have any family coming for Christmas?” This is the time of year that we typically have more opportunities to be with family. And for many of us, that also means chances to be with family that do not yet […]
Read More Christmas questionsRandy Stinson, Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, Is it not a mercy that once a year the Advent season helps us re-orient ourselves with the astonishing fact that God’s Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us? He has. Now every futile thing has been touched with hope. What is the hope awakened […]
Read More Today’s Quote – Christmas (Stinson)Some favored statements about the significance of this Christmas day — What can I give Him, Poor as I am?If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb,If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part,Yet what can I give Him? Give Him my heart.[Christina Rosetti] “If the story were a fable […]
Read More Favored Christmas quotesUnwittingly, Caiaphas prophesied about the great work of Christ on the cross — the substitutionary atonement, not only for Israel, but for all who would trust in Christ. R. C. Sproul notes well the import of Christ’s substitutionary work — Christ’s supreme achievement on the cross is that He placed the wrath of God, which […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (12/16/07)On Christmas morning, gifts will be opened that will be ungratefully received. They will be taken, but without gratitude. Perhaps the recipient will have wanted something else. Perhaps the value of the gift is unknown, or perhaps it is known and considered “inadequate.” This same Christmas season, people will be presented with the gift of […]
Read More Ungrateful for the gift of Christ?Every Christmas, John Piper writes a series of four advent poems for his congregation. This year the poems are written around a consideration of the life of Nebuchadnezzar. They are worth hearing or reading. One of my favorite advent poems remains “The Innkeeper.” These are worth hearing or reading as you prepare your heart for […]
Read More Preparing for Christmas worship“Christianity is everywhere in our culture, and yet Christ is so hard to find. We have an institutional Christ, a social Christ, a popular Christ, and a cultural Christ. Where is the Lord Jesus Christ?” asks writer and musician John Fischer. It’s a perceptive question for a church culture where the supremacy of Christ is […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (12/3/06)
Words of Grace 