Tag Archives: Advent

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12 Light in the Darkness – Continued The story is told of a young Jewish girl in a Warsaw ghetto who managed to escape over the wall and hide in a cave. She died there shortly before … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12 Light in the Darkness – Continued The light that shone in Jesus still shines on, and the darkness has not been able to overcome it, put it out, quench it, or extinguish it. Now this does … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12 Guiding Light Jesus Christ, to whom the star led, also leads us somewhere. He leads us in two directions, to God and to our brother. These are the two poles of great religion. The God to … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12 The Light – Continued The Bible says in effect: When you have peeled away layer after layer of things as they appear, you come to the heart of things as they are and you can call … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew in his beautiful story of the birth of Jesus makes much use of a star. He tells how wise men came from the East to Jerusalem, having followed the light of a star. They asked: … Continue reading →

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 Full of Truth Not only is Jesus full of grace, He is also full of truth. Truth is one of the watchwords of John’s Gospel, occurring over thirty times. Jesus embodied truth. He said once, “I … Continue reading →

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 We Beheld His Glory Despite the fact that Jesus Christ was clothed in our flesh, having our frail and fragile form and dwelling in the midst of our common life, people saw glory in Him. John … Continue reading →

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 God Identified With Us By taking our human form, God identified with us. He looked out upon our world through human eyes. It is one thing to look at our world from above and outside it. … Continue reading →

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 God Became Human – Continued Jesus’ flesh was our kind of flesh. He got tired, needed rest, sleep, and food. You see Him sitting on the curbing of a well and asking for water. He was … Continue reading →

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 Most who celebrate Christmas this year, will do so elaborately. Our houses will be brilliantly lighted. We will have Christmas trees, decorations, and adornments of many kinds. We will give and receive expensive gifts beautifully wrapped. … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 Those Who Seek Jesus If swaddling clothes, a manger, and a star tell a lot about the child who was sought, they also tell a lot about those who sought Him then, and those … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 Simple Things – Continued Jesus Christ was human. His life was grounded in the good earth the way yours and mine are. The story of His birth is that of a real birth. He … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 How shall we know Him? That was the question they were asking on that first Christmas. There were two ways given by which they could know Him. The angel said to the shepherds: “And … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Luke 2:1-20 He Came To Save Us – Continued Back to God, the Father – Continued When the Bible speaks of death, it means more than the heart ceasing to beat. It means total and absolute separation from … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Luke 2:1-20 He Came To Free Us – Continued The two ultimate tragedies of life are sin and death, and these are the two great forces that so tragically enslave us. Christ has come to set us free … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Luke 2:1-20 Love Came Down – Continued Jesus came while the world slept. And the world awoke the next morning, wiped the drowsiness from its eyes, and went about its work, not knowing that our planet had been … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Luke 2:1-20 Within the last couple of decades, due to the advancement of space telescope technology, scientists believe they have discovered several planets that are beyond our solar system. That discovery, as it always does, has stimulated a … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Isaiah 6:1-5; Luke 2:8-14 Peace and Justice – Continued While our text does not mention justice explicitly, it certainly is implied. There can be no peace without justice. The Bible knows this well since justice is one of … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Isaiah 6:1-5; Luke 2:8-14 Caring and Compassionate Such a God gives us confidence for life. You know He is in charge of things. And when history is like a stream, overflowing its banks destructively, as ours is, we … Continue reading →

Scripture References: Isaiah 6:1-5; Luke 2:8-14 Never has anyone spoken more eloquently of great religion than did the heavenly host on that first Christmas. They sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom … Continue reading →