Topic > Christian Beliefs
When My Christmas Tree Fell Over
This year, my husband and I bought a real Christmas tree. It was our first; I was ecstatic. You see, when I was young in China, I could only get my hands on plastic trees.
The Drummer Boy
“The Little Drummer Boy” is a popular Christmas song written in 1941. It was originally known as “Carol of the Drum” and is based on a traditional Czech carol. Although there isn’t any reference to a drummer boy in the Christmas story in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 2, the point of the carol goes straight to the heart of the meaning of worship. The carol describes how a boy is summoned by the Magi to the scene of Christ’s birth. Unlike the wise men, however, the drummer has no gift—so he gives what he has. He plays his drum, saying,…
For God So Loved
In ancient Jewish culture, the first-born son held a very special place in family dynamics. So it got Nicodemus’ attention when Jesus told him that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. Join the group today on “Discover the Word” as they begin Week 2 of their series on the chapter of the Bible that contains its most familiar verse, “For God So Loved.”
Amazing Love
Approaching the first Christmas after her husband died, our friend Davidene wrote a remarkable letter in which she pictured what it might have been like in heaven when Jesus was born on earth. “It was what God always knew would happen,” she wrote. “The three were one, and He had agreed to allow the fracturing of His precious unity for our sake. Heaven was left empty of God the Son.”
As Jesus taught and healed people on earth, He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.…
Pax Romana
No one can afford the price of war. One website reports 64 nations are currently involved in armed conflicts. When and how will they end? We want peace, but not at the expense of justice.
Jesus was born during a time of “peace,” but it came at the cost of heavy-handed oppression. The Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”) existed only because Rome squashed all dissent.
Seven centuries before that time of relative peace, hostile armies prepared to invade Jerusalem. From the shadow of war, God made a remarkable pronouncement. “On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned,” the prophet…
The Seventh Stanza
In the summer of 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s wife, Frances, died tragically in a fire. That first Christmas without her, he wrote in his diary, “How inexpressibly sad are the holidays.” The next year was no better, as he recorded, “ ‘A merry Christmas,’ say the children, but that is no more for me.”
In 1863, as the American Civil War was dragging on, Longfellow’s son joined the army against his father’s wishes and was critically injured. On Christmas Day that year, as church bells announced the arrival of another painful Christmas, Longfellow picked up his pen and began to write,…
Embracing the Messiah
Today on “Discover the Word,” we end the first week of the special series for Christmas titled, “For God So Loved,” by revealing how Jesus challenged a prominent leader of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, to embrace the Messiah he wasn’t expecting. It poses a question for all of us. And the answer is wrapped up in a simple two-letter word that reveals the intensity of Jesus’ love for all humanity. Find out what that word is, on “Discover the Word”!
Could Christmas be About Abraham too?
Have you ever received a lovely gift and thanked the giver appropriately, only to realize later that it was homemade? Suddenly the significance of the gift grows, because you now know that the giver had put in much effort and many hours into it, and your former expression of thanks doesn’t seem adequate any more.
How Jesus came to rescue people
Do you like snakes? Well, today on “Discover the Word,” we will talk about how Jesus referenced the story of Moses “lifting up the serpent” in the wilderness. Are you familiar with that story? See an amazing connection that points to how Jesus came to rescue people “snake bitten” by sin.
How would you answer the question, “where are you from”?
“Where are you from?” It’s an icebreaker question we often ask people to get an idea of who they are. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss the contrast between how Nicodemus, a respected religious leader from Jerusalem would answer that question and how Jesus would answer it. Where did Jesus say He was from? Listen today on “Discover the Word”!
Holy Is Your Name
One afternoon I was having a discussion with a friend I considered my spiritual mentor about misusing God’s name. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,” says the third commandment (Ex. 20:7). We may think this only refers to attaching God’s name to a swear word or using His name flippantly or irreverently. But my mentor rarely missed an opportunity to teach me about real faith. He challenged me to think about other ways we profane God’s name.
When I reject the advice of others and say, “God told me to go this way,” I misuse His…
An eternal king for an eternal kingdom
It’s understandable that back in the first century, the Jews were looking for an earthly king, for an earthly kingdom. Yet in Jesus, God was providing the gift of an eternal King who would rule an eternal kingdom. Today on “Discover the Word,” we’ll talk about one of Jesus’ questions to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee. Nicodemus was challenged with a new way of thinking about the kingdom of heaven. Join us today for “Discover the Word”!
How Jesus surprised Nicodemus
Sometimes for a really smart person to learn something, they have to be humble enough to want to learn. Nicodemus, a leading member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus with some sincere questions. His frame of reference was the Mosaic law, but Jesus surprised him with a whole new paradigm. Join the group today on “Discover the Word” as they begin the series, “For God So Loved.”
When It’s More Blessed To Give Than to Receive
For years, I dreaded Christmas and the social gatherings that came with it. While my friends and colleagues looked forward excitedly to exchanging presents and spending time with friends, I hated the idea of attending awkward barbecues with strangers.
