MERRY CHRISTMAS!


In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.

He was in the world,
and though the world was made through him,
the world did not recognize him.
He came to that which was his own,
but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who received him,
to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God–
children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision
or a husband's will,
but born of God.

And The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.

If Jamie were a Christmas Carol:


You are 'Adam lay y bounden'! Ah, you appear to be
something of a Christmas snob. Whether you are
a musician who has sung one carol service too
many, or merely someone with very highbrow
views on music and culture, you shudder at the
thought of piped music in lifts, wince at
endless repetitions of Jingle Bells and have
put out a contract on Rudolph. While you agree
that some of the well-known carols are lovely,
you are more drawn by the really obscure
medieval carols, or the ones arranged by Bach.


What Christmas Carol are you?
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I love Christmastime! Yes, I know Jesus wasn't actually born December 25, but I still think more about Jesus' birth at this time of the year than any other.

What an awesome thing it was that our Almighty God became a helpless mewling infant! And yet I think many people get so caught up in the "cuteness" of the Baby Jesus that they forget about the other half of the story--that He came for one purpose--to die for our sins, and to pay the price for our rebellion against God.

So, just as a reminder that the Baby in the Manger isn't the crux of the story:

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he bore our griefs
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Hallelujah for that!