Merry Christmas, dear friend of flowing faith! This is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. How blessed we are that God became a man to save us and form personal relationships with each of us. Lots of reasons to celebrate! Lots of reasons to have a merry Christmas. Lots of reasons to be thankful for. In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. 2 This first enrollment occurred when…
What do you think? Does Christmas matter? Does it really matter that Jesus was born? Let’s see. It’s true that whenever a baby is born, it changes the lives of the parents. But one baby changed the whole history and the future of the humankind. That’s why Christmas matters, Jesus changed everything. The miracle of Christmas is earth-chattering. The wonder of Christmas is life-changing. The Holy Night indeed changed the course of history. Before Jesus we did not have any…
Celebrating Christmas is great. And easy. For real. It does not require long shopping lists or empty wallets. There’s absolutely no stress involved because everything is already done for us. Don’t you believe me? Let me explain. You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration. Beautiful things are always in your right hand. (Psalm 16:11, CEB) The perfect Christmas and total celebration is only found in God’s presence. No where else. God’s arms are wide…
Do you know the deep secret of joy? It has nothing to do with the entertainment industry but it has everything to do with Jesus. Because, you know, nothing but Jesus can give us freedom from all the ugliness in our lives. And that’s not even all. Jesus can save us from eternal separation from the ultimate goodness. Martin Luther explains the deep secret of joy very well: The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy…
This Advent season I hope you’re not running around like crazy. You know, abundant life is not found in shopping extravaganzas or perfect decorations. Spending money will not bring your peace or happiness. You get bankruptcy and hollowness instead. Because you become what you embrace. If you go after false idols, you become false. They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and the warnings which he gave them. They went after false idols, and…
Today I fell in love with the Christmas stories told by the kids of St Paul’s Church, Auckland, New Zealand. See yourself, they are the cutest thing ever. Which one is your favorite? I love them all but maybe the middle one is my favorite. I especially love how God’s love for all of us shines through all the videos. It was good to be reminded how wise God was to send his son as a new born baby without…
Getting ready for Christmas is not about finishing your shopping lists. It’s not about cleaning your house or preparing scrumptious meals. It’s not about getting the Christmas cards out on time. It’s not about trimming your tree beautifully or decorating your house festively. It’s entirely something else. All these other things can be fun but the one thing that really makes or breaks our Christmas is our heart condition: Do we love Jesus more than anything? Jesus: Simon, son of…
We have entered the Advent season. It is time to make sure there is room in our Inn for Jesus. It’s time to prepare our hearts and minds for Jesus. Let’s see what Mary can show us about being ready for God. Gabriel brings Mary a promise, an order, and a prophecy: When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph,…
Tables are wonderful gathering places, aren’t they? Especially the Lord’s table. I was searching the Bible and found this verse where “the Lord’s table” is mentioned the first time. It took me by surprise. Like I had never read it before (and I am sure I have). You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. (1 Cor. 10:21,…
Did you know that the Lord’s Prayer is dangerous? This week the Church of England’s cinema add featuring the Lord’s prayer was banned. I was curious to see this add and I absolutely loved it. How about you? Even the web site for prayer they’re advertising for is worth of visiting. But let’s discover the beauty of the Lord’s Prayer. Why is it so powerful, even dangerous? Bishop Steven Croft gives us seven reasons in his blog post: First, this…
