A Different Christmas Verse
Those who live well in the face of eternity are keenly and joyfully aware this Christmas season that the eternal One came to earth so that we could spend eternity with him. Here’s a Christmas verse from the One whose birthday we celebrate: “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Considering that we are celebrating not our birthday but the one of he who identified with the poor and oppressed, how would a person follow what he says? AdventConspiracy.org encourages us…
Light in a Dark Place
The materialism of Christmas shopping used to be tempered by carols of angels and the newborn Christ. But now that anything “religious” has been pervasively banned from stores, we’re reduced to hollow gibberish about Santa and happy holidays. What to say? An alternative to feeling angry or cynical or sad is to remember that the original holiday, the Roman Saturnalia, was a happy pagan holiday to begin with. And before that, Jesus wasn’t particularly welcomed in Israel either—Herod tried to kill him (with horrific collateral damage to baby boys around Bethlehem). If Jesus were so inclined, he might say to us something…
Thankful? Or Thankful It’s Over?
Are you thankful for Christmas? Or are you thankful it’s over? I’ve been asking that question and found a correlation: On one hand: The more we get caught up in or feel pressured to buy presents, put up decorations, or perform Christmas-related activities like feasts and card sending, the more thankful we are when it’s over. (Some of us enjoy these things, and the rest of us are blessed to receive. I’m just talking about those who feel caught up or pressured.) On the other hand: The more we choose to ignore what pressures us and instead keep things simple…
