A couple of week’s ago I stumbled on an article titled ‘Why You Should Stop Treating Jesus’s Birth Narratives as History.’ This guy loved the Spiritual lessons one could glean from the whole Jesus story. In his construct, the story is ‘truth’ but it isn’t TRUE. That is to say that it did not happen. […]
Galatians 4:4-5 Christmas from Galatians- Pastor Josh Woody
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Listen as Pastor Josh Woody explains from the book of Galatians how that ‘in the fullness of time’ the incarnate Son of God came into the world as King, and made us sons of God and heirs with Him.
Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Magnificat: The Essence of True Worship
Mary, the mother of Jesus, it often touted as a supreme figure in Christian history, but did she see herself that way? Mary’s Magnificat is a song of worship that shows us what it means to truly magnify the Lord. What is true worship? Is it a seasonal attitude or a lifestyle? Listen as Brother […]
Isaiah 9:6 For Unto Us a Child Is Born- Pastor Michael Carr
We all know this regularly quoted ‘Christmas text.’ Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. But sometimes that familiarity causes us to take the text […]
Loss and Gain at Christmas Time: A Tribute to My Uncle Tom
Christmas doesn’t always seem holly jolly. People lose their jobs, houses burn down, there are car accidents, people get sick, and loved ones die. Why? What is magical about that? How are we supposed to get in the Christmas Spirit in the middle of this wretched brokenness? Sometimes, at out weakest points, it can feel like […]
John 1:14 Faith and Christmas: How Immanuel Changes Everything
Most people’s definition of faith is ‘believing without seeing.’ Culture, by in large, sees science & religion as opposites. For the masses, science equals demonstrable fact while religion equals baseless subjective, perhaps helpful, but improvable belief. The question, ‘Why do you believe the Bible,’ is answered with either, ‘That’s just how I was raised,’ Or […]
Matthew 2:19-23 He Shall Be Called a Nazarene
Matthew 2:23 is a puzzling text; “(Joseph, Mary and Jesus) came & lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Why is that puzzling? The city of Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament; not even once, more less multiple times as […]
Matthew 2:1-13 The Right Place, at the Right Time, for the Right Reason
You probably think you know the story of the wise men coming to see baby Jesus, but do you really? There are so many unanswered questions. Why would some men from the East see a star and think, ‘We need to head toward Jerusalem, a king has been born?’ Why did the Jews themselves fail […]
Luke 1: 26-38 Maybe Christmas is About Alotta Bit More
After the Grinch failed to ‘steal Christmas’ the narrator says, ‘Then the Grinch thought of something…he hadn’t before. Maybe…Christmas…he thought…doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas……perhaps……means a little bit more. Indeed, the ‘Ol Grinch was on to something, but it comes up short. What exactly is Christmas about? In ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ we’re […]
A Christmas Funeral_ A Tribute to Marlene Fraley and a Defense of God’s Goodness in the Face of Suffering and Death
Christmas doesn’t always seem holly jolly. People lose their jobs, houses burn down, there are car accidents, people get sick, and loved ones die. Why? What is magical about that? How are we supposed to get in the Christmas Spirit in the middle of this wretched brokenness? Sometimes, at out weakest points, it can feel like […]
