Just a few personal notes about a wonderful Christmas. This year, because Christmas fell on the Lord’s Day, we had to spread our normal activities out over a couple days, in order to make room for two worship services within eighteen hours. We normally have a Christmas Eve service, which we did this year, but …
Christmas Sunrise
And the evening and the morning were the eighth day. We should not be surprised at the pattern of darkness and then light, a pattern which we see not only in the creation of the world, but also in the re-creation of all things. And the beginning of the re-creation of all things is what …
Christmas Eve Prayer
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen. Our Father and God, our gracious Lord, we gather before You now as a grateful people. We have been forgiven all our sins against You, and we have been given the gift of forgiving others their sins against us. We thank …
Deep Kindness
A new commandment is given to you, that you love one another. This love is not to be understood as a mere sentiment, although it makes all true sentiment possible, and more than possible, lovely. Love means that we are to treat one another as the voice of God requires, and that we are to …
Christmas Sunrise
Introduction And the evening and the morning were the eighth day. We should not be surprised at the pattern of darkness and then light, a pattern which we see not only in the creation of the world, but also in the re-creation of all things. The Text: I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify …
The Virgin Bears Salvation
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Praise the Lord! All you servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! Bless the name of the Lord, From this moment out, Forever and for aye! From the point of the sun rising, To the place it goes down, …
The Worldview of Christmas
This is the fourth Lord’s Day of Advent, the year of our Lord, 2005. Worldviews are more complicated than a being just a simple bundle of propositions. Propositions are of course involved—no one has a worldview who cannot answer questions about what he believes. But in our circles, this tends to be the only aspect …
The Song of Mary
The Bible teaches us a great deal about our Lord’s mother, and about her great and astonishing faith. But unfortunately, Roman Catholic errors, idolatries and excesses have all created or contributed to a great over-reaction from Protestants, and hence a great loss for us. Often we do not even want to talk about Mary at …
The Star of Bethlehem
One of the most obvious symbols of the Christmas season is the star of Bethlehem. Countless Christmas cards have portrayed it, our carols sing about it, and we tell one another the story associated with it every year. In this, we frequently just skim over the surface of what we actually think we are saying. …
The Christmas Blessing of Simeon
The Lord has brought us safely through another year, and we are grateful for the time He gives us to meditate on the meaning of His Word, born into our midst for the salvation of lost and sinful men. This is the true meaning of Christmas, in contrast with the false antithesis so often propounded, …