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We all know that Christmas and Christ are too easily separated these days. Has been for some time. It's about "the season", a "feeling in the air", a "sense of good will", a family thing. It's lights and decorations and trees and presents. It's good deeds and all that good stuff. It's "What can I get?" and all that bad stuff. And every Christian knows to some extent that we need to work to keep Christ in Christmas. You may go to the extreme of skipping gifts and decorations (good luck with that) or just work at keeping Him central in all your…  ( Click for more )

In the classical (or liturgical) churches there is a season known as "Advent". It is the classical Christmas season. But it's much more than "Christmas". You've seen, I'm quite sure, Advent calendars. They cover several weeks, not just one day, you see. "Advent" comes from the Latin, adventus – "The coming". That's the idea. And the idea of Advent (rather than just "Christmas") is the entire coming-of-Christ concept.

I have a problem with Christmas. Always have. Christmas, you see, has always been so cluttered with…  ( Click for more )

I hate Santa Claus. Oh, that's probably too harsh. But the images we're given and the concepts we're taught surrounding this fictional character are just ... well ... wrong. You know, for instance, that he has a "Naughty and Nice" list. What happens to the naughty? Well, they're supposed to get a lump of coal in their stocking, but no one gets a lump of coal. In a recent car commercial I saw Santa Claus is examining two lines of luxury cars -- one red and the other white -- which are being loaded onto vehicles for delivery. The white ones go to the "Nice"…  ( Click for more )

It's Wednesday. Surely today you can enjoy a hymn! Beneath The Cross Of Jesus Elizabeth Clephane Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty Rock within a weary land; A home within the wilderness, a rest along the way From the burning of the noonday heat and the burden of the day. Upon that cross of Jesus, mine eye can sometimes see The very dying form of One who suffered there for me; And from my smitten heart with tears two wonders I confess - The wonders of His glorious love and my own worthlessness. I take, O cross, thy shadow…  ( Click for more )

Okay, the previous hymn was rather stuffy, perhaps, although I loved it myself. How about a "more contemporary" hymn? I'd Rather Have Jesus I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I'd rather be His than have riches untold; I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land, I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand: Refrain Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway! I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause, I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus…  ( Click for more )

I was thinking the other day about the dichotomy of an atheist Thanksgiving. I mean, sure, they use the phrase, "I'm thankful for ...", but to whom are they thankful? It is possible to list things for which they are grateful, but little thought is given beyond that list. It occurred to me, however, that there is often something missing at Thanksgiving for all of us. What's missing at Thanksgiving? For a sizable number of Americans, Thanksgiving Day is "Turkey Day". It's a day to enjoy a lot of food, gather with friends and family, watch an inordinate amount…  ( Click for more )

You may not be aware of this, but I really love the hymns. Here's one I like a lot. It's an oldie, to be sure, and a lot of you may not have ever heard it. It's painful to sing (because it's in the classical style using archaic language) and it's painful to examine (because it's about the suffering of Christ), but, please, give it a chance. I think you'll find it valuable to examine. O Sacred Head, Now Wounded Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) O Sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thy only crown, How…  ( Click for more )

A hymn we've all heard: Nearer, My God, to Thee Sarah F. Adams Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee, E'en tho' it be a cross that raiseth me; Still all my song shall be, "Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!" Tho' like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone, Yet in my dreams I'll be Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! There let the way appear, steps unto heav'n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv'n - Angels to beckon me Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer,…  ( Click for more )

What is this thing called "Halloween"? And why are Christians either deeply outraged or having anything at all to do with it? Well, as it turns out, the early Christian church celebrated an "All Saints Day", a remembrance for martyred Christians. And, of course, since all church holidays have an "eve", the day before was "All Hallows Eve", a holy evening to prepare for All Saints Day. Well, as is our wont, "All Hallows Eve" shortened over time to "Hallow-e'en" to "Halloween", effectively removing all connection…  ( Click for more )

Worship honors God. No, that's not just a statement; it's a definition. Worship is that which honors God. It may be a formal ceremony, a specific task, or a lifestyle. The word is rooted in the Old English for "worth - ship" and recognizes God's worth. Now, if that doesn't give you pause even to hear, you aren't paying attention. How do we recognize "God's worth"? How do we recognize the infinite? There has been a lot of complaints for quite a long time, actually, about modern worship. It's too light. It's too fluffy. It isn't serious enough. It's too "seeker…  ( Click for more )

In John 5 we read the story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Without all the details, it was a guy who had been lame for 38 years trying to get healed. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" (John 5:6).

What an astounding question! "Do you wish to get well?" I mean, "Duh!" What else could he possibly wish? This wasn't the only time that Jesus appears to ask a "no-brainer". In Mark 10 we read the story of blind Bartimaeus of Jericho.…  ( Click for more )

In a discussion recently I was asked, "How can you know you're one of the elect?" A valid question worth exploring. The proof that you can't know was that even those who believe in election have a hard time with the question. Well, I'd prefer not to use contemporaries as the formation of my beliefs, so let's see what we can find in Scripture. First, anyone who denies that the doctrine of election is a biblical doctrine is simply not reading their Bible. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). He chose us in Him before the foundation of the…  ( Click for more )

When I was a youngster in church activities, I was caught up in the competition. You know. We had "Bible drills" -- who could turn the fastest to a Bible verse. We had contests to see who could recite the books of the Bible the fastest. We had Bible memorization contests. Now, in these contests you were credited with "numbers of verses" or "numbers of chapters". So we learned tricks. If you had to memorize a chapter, volunteer to memorize Psalm 117. Two verses. Done! And our favorite Bible verse to memorize was John 11:35. "Jesus wept." Done! …  ( Click for more )

One of the attributes of God that is repeated over and over in Scripture is His wrath. Okay, enough of that. Let's move on. The topic is largely one ignored today. Many deny it. Of the rest, many ignore it. Of the rest, many prefer not to speak about it. It is unpleasant. Okay, enough of that. Let's move on. The wrath of God is one of the popular tools of the anti-theist. Oddly enough, they are either complaining that He's too wrathful or complaining that He's not wrathful enough. He's bad because the Bible says He ordered the execution of an entire group of sinful people or…  ( Click for more )

I think I have arrived. No, not in godliness. Or much of anything else, really. Let me explain. I carry around a bit too much weight. For years now I've been working on decreasing that problem. You know, increase exercise, decrease intake, watch what you eat, more healthy, less fatty, less sugar, more vegetables, "watch it now ... you might like something and that's likely bad for your diet!" -- that kind of thing. Count calories? Check. Increase fiber? Check. Decrease carbs? Check. Add to this certain medical conditions that have, of late, served to cut me off from other…  ( Click for more )

In Jesus's High Priestly prayer (John 17) He prays specifically for a particular group of people. "I have manifested Your Name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world" (John 17:6). This particular group of people are those whom the Father gave Him. Now, there are a lot of observations possible about this group and Jesus's prayer for them, but I'm only looking at one piece here. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You…  ( Click for more )

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)Taken completely out of context, this is still a fine thing to consider. Thanking God is a good thing to do. Remembering His gifts to us is a good and natural thing to do. All well and good. But Paul here references God's gift -- singular. Perhaps it would be good to look at exactly what the gift is for which Paul is thanking God. The context of the statement gives the meaning, of course. What "inexpressible gift" had he been discussing? It is one of those things of which most would say, "It is…  ( Click for more )

"I like Jesus, but I'm not very fond of that God of the Old Testament." Ever heard that before? Or how about this? "Today we are saved by grace, but in the Old Testament they were saved by works." I'm sure, if you haven't heard that, you've seen it, understood it, or, perhaps, even thought it. But ... is it accurate? As it turns out, the Bible has one, single message -- Jesus, the Christ. According to Paul, that was the promise "before the ages began" (Titus 1:1-3) ... which is before time. At the Fall (Genesis 3) we see the promise of Christ (Genesis…  ( Click for more )

There are a few things that everyone knows (or think they know) about God and Christianity. "It's a sin to do what I like." "Judge not!" Oh, and, "God is love." Everyone knows that. That's one of the complaints, in fact. "If God is love, why are there so many problems?" The problem, of course, is not the assumption that God is love (1 John 4:8), but in our failure to comprehend either the statement ("God is love") or the meaning. I remember a "church" some decades ago that used "God is love" as their mantra.…  ( Click for more )

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting (It'" target="_blank">Psalm 107:1).It's a simple little prayer that so many little children have learned. "God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food." Okay, so "good" and "food" don't really rhyme. But the idea is sound. God is good. "Good" is generally a relative term depending on a standard. A good meal is not the same as a good dog, and a gooddog is not the same as a good man. The standard used determines "good". In the case…  ( Click for more )

How many times have I heard it? "Jesus never said anything about homosexuality being a sin!" The conclusion? Well, obviously it must not be! Of course, that's clear rubbish. He never said anything about rape, pornography, or child molesting either. I suppose you'd classify them as perfectly good since "Jesus never said anything" about them? No, of course not. But is it actually true that Jesus never said anything about it? I might beg to differ. In Matthew 19 the Pharisees came to test Him. Their trick question? "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for…  ( Click for more )

The First Great Awakening was a revival that swept Europe and America in the 1730's and 1740's. This revival was not aimed at the unsaved; it was a call for Christians to be Christian. The movement had huge impacts on the nation and the world. First, it personalized Christianity, making it a matter of personal interaction with the Holy Spirit rather than a cold religion. It removed the classic divide of "clergy and laity". Of course there was increased religious activity, but this went far beyond religious effects. It forwarded puritan ethics which included evangelism…  ( Click for more )

In a debate on Facebook over homeschooling or not (actually over an originally innocuous comment that was taken to a logical if unintended conclusion), one person said, "I think public schools increase children's chances of going to Hell." On a recent blog of a fairly well-known Arminian apologist he wrote, "God makes himself dependent on our wills." A Christian apologist argues that what is really needed in order to impact those around us is a good argument with solid evidence and clear reasoning, not the Bible because, after all, unbelievers don't accept…  ( Click for more )

You'll find that term, selah, in the Psalms. There are a variety of possible meanings for the term. It is a musical pause. (The word means "pause".) It may indicate a change in the music or a musical direction of some sort. It may be an "Amen!" Some suggest a "forever!" I like to think of it as "Stop and think about it." God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though…  ( Click for more )