A popular Christmas reading from Matthew’s gospel says “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”. But what did it really mean for God to be with us? Well, Jesus didn’t merely come to show us the way, but to be THE way.…
How soon is too soon for Christmas songs? Regardless of what we think, it’s pretty hard to get them out of your head once you’ve heard them start — whether that’s because we’ve heard them so many times before, or because the tune (at least sometimes) is such a good one. But at the first…
On one hand, it’s easy to get caught up in all the trappings of Christmas — the food, the music, the decorations, the presents, the family gatherings. But it’s also inescapable that this celebration marks something that fundamentally changed the world, whether that’s first in our minds or not. And that something is actually someone;…
Have you ever had an argument at Christmas? Whether it’s the stress at work, the burnt offering that is Christmas dinner, or poor Wi-Fi, we so easily see our sin at this time of year. And often that’s in our words. But some 33 years after that first Christmas, Jesus, even when He was falsely…
Sometimes the things we hope for seem to take forever to come around; whether it’s the start of the school holidays, putting our out of office message on, or the lighter evenings coming round again. And what a feeling when we get there! But there was a hope that God had promised soon after the…
This time of year, many of us send Christmas cards to each other to send our best regards, to wish someone a happy Christmas, or maybe share a message of our news with those nearest and dearest to us. But the greatest message of all that arrived that first Christmas, was the love that God…
Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, when the news came that she was pregnant. And He had a choice — listen to those around him, who would undoubtedly told him to get out of that situation, or listen to God. And in a step of faith, He listened to God who told him…
Christmas can bring it’s share of disappointment — whether it’s a lack of snow on Christmas day, the Turkey isn’t quite as you hoped, or you’ve been bought socks as a gift. Again. But there’s something we can have that will never disappoint us — and that is the hope we can have in God.…
When we look at the world around us, there doesn’t seem to be much peace. Whether it’s in the dozens of wars going on around the world, or the fights on the streets of our own towns and cities, or even the arguments in our schools and workplaces, peace is hard to find. So what…
Christmas lights — whether on a tree or front of someone’s house — are such a contrast to the dark winter nights that sneak up on us this time of year. But a far bigger contrast is Jesus, who the Bible describes as the Light of the world, compared the darkness of this world that…