They were our neighbours, and they loved Christmas. The first church I pastored was a small congregation located several miles out in the country. Our next-door neighbours were a retired pastor and his family. Although it was only him, … Read more
Luke is careful throughout his gospel to place Jesus in history. That was important back then, because there were so many "mystery" and "fertility" religions which claimed to have miraculous births and gods who died and rose again. So, … Read more
During the Christmas season, one of my students asked me why we give gifts for Christmas. I explained to her that we give to remember that God gave us the most wonderful, perfect gift. He gave us His only Son, Jesus, because God loves us … Read more
I received a long-distance call from a friend a while back. She was awaiting news of the birth of her first grandchild, and, lest she be tempted to call and check on the progress every so often, chose to call and talk to me. We managed to … Read more
The grandkids raced to my house, all excited and yelling about the big tree that their dad had just purchased. I discovered that it was a ten-foot-tall, cone-shaped Christmas tree completely encircled by white LED lights with a … Read more
Lord, maybe what I need this Christmas is a new pair of spiritual eyeglasses, ones that would let me see the hope and trust those ill people had in You, so even if they have died, as we on earth call it, we know they are alive forever in … Read more
When my wife yelled, "Come here!" I knew something was wrong. I was napping in my recliner on a Sunday afternoon when she called for help. Since I was only twenty feet from her, I asked, "Can't you just tell me what you want?" But … Read more
Some years ago, my husband and I volunteered as ushers at our local theatre, hoping we could see some interesting shows. We did, but the best by far was Handel's Messiah. Handel originally composed The Messiah for the Easter season in … Read more
Our youngest child, who is five years old, has said for the last week, "I wonder what I'm getting for Christmas?" My reply is, "I wonder, too!" As she spoke those words, I thought, every child across the world is asking the same question. … Read more