You really can't meditate on the significance of Christmas without coming back repeatedly to the prologue to John's gospel. It is worth looking at John 1:1-3, 14 again here. These rich verses point out clearly that Jesus is eternal ("in the beginning" Jesus was there), and that he is the embodiment of God's complete revelation … Continue reading The Word Who Creates and Sustains Everything Became Flesh
Christmas From 30,000 Feet
It is possible to get so caught up in the details of Christmas that we lose the overall significance of this amazing God-becoming-man miracle called the incarnation. Take some time this week to step out of the details and take a 30,000 foot fly-over of what really happened at the incarnation. To do that, I … Continue reading Christmas From 30,000 Feet
The Christ of Christmas is Coming Back!
The second coming might seem like an odd topic to write about at Christmas, but I actually think it's pretty appropriate. Throughout these Christmas blogs, I've been trying to show how, since the fall in Genesis 3, God has been about making things right, restoring our broken relationship with him, and fixing a broken world. … Continue reading The Christ of Christmas is Coming Back!
Prepare the Way of the Lord (Isaiah 40)
Isaiah 40:3-5 declares the greatest hope ever, the hope of the gospel, to every person who has ears to hear this good news. The Word has been sent into “the wilderness.” The Messiah is coming and He will see to it that every crooked pathway is straightened. Christmas hope is here and we had better … Continue reading Prepare the Way of the Lord (Isaiah 40)
Love Defined and Provided
1 John 4:9-10 are among my favorite verses for Christmas. If you want to know what true love is, just look to Christmas and Good Friday. Recently, I posted about the supremacy of Christ and how he humbled himself for our sake that we might have life and not death. 1 John 4 tells us that God's … Continue reading Love Defined and Provided
The Return to Nazareth
Today's blog finishes the narrative of the events of Jesus' birth. For the rest of Christmas week, I'll be sharing some things about the significance of Jesus' birth. On Christmas Day, I think I want to reflect on Jesus' return (his 2nd advent). His second coming will be nothing like His first. Herod was old and sick … Continue reading The Return to Nazareth
Herod’s Infanticide
Today's text is the most tragic and difficult text in the Christmas narrative. But it is there for a reason, so we cannot ignore it. And I believe there are lessons that we can learn from it as well. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, … Continue reading Herod’s Infanticide
Out of Egypt
The short passage in Scripture that refers to Jesus' family's escape from Herod into Egypt is probably one of the most overlooked passages in the Christmas narrative, yet it is rich in meaning and theological significance. The surface meaning of Matthew 2:13-15 is simply this. The king, Herod the Great, perceives a threat to his … Continue reading Out of Egypt
Pagan Priests Worship Jesus
This morning, I read Matthew 2:7-12. I can't help but be struck by the irony of these pagan priests from a foreign country kneeling in worship of the Messiah, while Herod and "all Jerusalem" find His arrival troubling. A Hollywood screenwriter could not have penned a more fitting introduction to the life of Christ. The fact that … Continue reading Pagan Priests Worship Jesus
Good News or Bad News?
Jesus' arrival on the world stage was good news to some and bad news to others. Those two groups came together for the first time in Herod's palace in Jerusalem shortly after Christ was born. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from … Continue reading Good News or Bad News?
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