Articles for tag: Christmas

December 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Two Sizes Too Small

By Jim Tune There”s been an explosive fascination with all things zombie in pop culture. The AMC series The Walking Dead has enjoyed stunning commercial success, so I wasn”t surprised to see a flood of big-screen zombie productions hitting local theaters. Most of them focus solely on gore and body counts. The 2013 zombie film Warm Bodies was unique for this weird film genre: It”s a zombie love story. I remember watching it on a transatlantic flight in the middle of the night, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. The film”s tagline more or less summarizes the plot: “He”s still

December 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Peace: December 16

By Becky Ahlberg Wednesday, December 16 Read Ephesians 2:14-22.  Jesus is our peace. It was one of his purposes in coming. He was the only one who could destroy “the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (v. 14). He knew our nature and how easily we fall into conflict. He knew we would need help. He knew he couldn”t build the church he wanted without bringing people together and making them see each other as family, not enemies. He knew the walls would have to come down. Are there walls in your life that need to come down? Making peace

December 15, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Peace: December 15

By Becky Ahlberg Tuesday, December 15 Read Matthew 1:18-25.  Joseph is almost a mystery player in the Christmas story. We barely get to know him, and yet he may be the best example we have of someone who put his trust fully in the Lord. He would have had to. In the midst of the shame culture of that day, the events that unfolded with his betrothed Mary would have been excruciating. Another angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” (v. 20). In the movie The Nativity Story, there is a poignant scene in

December 14, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Peace: December 14

By Becky Ahlberg Monday, December 14 My first child was born on January 6. He wasn”t due until January 20, so I had insisted I could keep my music ministry running through the Christmas season. A full choral program, children”s program, soloist work in a local performance of Bach”s “Magnificat,” a Christmas Eve service, and all the family stuff of Christmas a week later, and well, let”s just say I overdid it a bit. A daunting 26 hours of labor later, I held my baby boy in my arms and the agony quickly became ecstasy. He was perfect. I just

December 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Peace: December 13

By Becky Ahlberg For many, especially church leaders, Christmas is more chaos than celebration. Besides the extra programs and parties, family responsibilities and expectations also expand. These short meditations (which started December 6 and will continue with a new, early morning post each day through January 1) are designed with leaders in mind. Take a few minutes each day to ponder these thoughts designed to help you find the wonder of the incarnation in the midst of your responsibilities. Advent is simply a time to prepare for the celebration of Christ”s birth. In liturgical settings, Advent begins four Sundays before

December 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 12

By Becky Ahlberg Saturday, December 12 An interesting juxtaposition today: Read Philippians 2:3-11 through the lens of Christmas. The phrase he “emptied Himself” (v. 7, New American Standard Bible) describes Jesus” perfect Christmas gift to us. Then read (or better yet, sing!) the words to “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and imagine yourself in the midst of that unheralded event. His ways are not our ways. O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, The silent stars go by. Yet in the dark street Shinto The everlasting Light; The hopes and

December 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 11

By Becky Ahlberg Friday, December 11 Read 1 Timothy 4.  In this well-known passage, the apostle Paul shares his wisdom with young Timothy and reminds him his behavior is critical to his credibility as a leader. It”s always good for leaders to remind themselves of these important truths. And right in the middle of it is this nugget, “That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God” (v. 10). Ours is not hope built on quaint stories or wishful thinking. The incarnation wasn”t magic. It was the purposeful, powerful behavior of the

December 10, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 10

By Becky Ahlberg Thursday, December 10 Today brings another atypical Christmas passage, 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18. This “jars of clay” passage is one of my favorites for lots of reasons, but maybe never more so than today as I ponder a new thought: Jesus chose to become a jar of clay himself! Fully man, fully God. Now that is a treasure in a jar of clay! What could illustrate the fragility of the life Jesus embarked upon more poignantly than a newborn baby? What life on earth ever embodied the images in this passage more than Jesus? “Pressed . .

December 9, 2015

Christian Standard

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

By Jim Tune Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote: “Earth”s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit around and pluck blackberries.” I need to reflect more often on the awesomeness of God. I want to live with my shoes off, recognizing holy ground moments as God saturates everything with his awesome light. My posture ought to more often be that of a man standing in amazement trying to fathom the glory of Christ. Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are

December 9, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 9

By Becky Ahlberg Wednesday, December 9 Start your thoughts this morning reading Romans 5:1-5. Perseverance and character“”these are two strong words, but we usually don”t think of them as the stuff of Christmas. And yet, they are at the heart of it. When you come right down to it, Christmas is a pretty rough story. Think of the cast in this play, and how those two words made Christmas possible: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Anna, Simeon, and Christ. For all of them, there could easily be a focus on shame and suffering, and yet each of them experienced and understood

December 8, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 8

By Becky Ahlberg Tuesday, December 8 Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Have you even started? How many parties and gatherings do you have on your calendar? How many Christmas programs or Christmas Eve services have you scheduled this year? Sometimes just thinking about these things can make a person weary! Now add to this list the hurting members of your congregation who find the holidays depressing or wounding, and who need your wise counsel and pastoral touch. Maybe you find Christmas depressing and wounding, and it becomes a weary ordeal as you try to find the Christmas spirit

December 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 7

By Becky Ahlberg Monday, December 7 It”s Pearl Harbor Day”””A date which will live in infamy,” as Franklin Roosevelt so memorably said. On December 7, 1941, America”s naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. When the smoke cleared, 2,403 Americans had been killed and 1,178 were injured. Christmas 1941 came barely two weeks after that attack. Families tried to go about their celebrations in the usual ways, but the worry over war and the unsettled affairs all over the world clouded the usual lighthearted and warm celebrations. American families were already mourning the loss

December 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 6

By Becky Ahlberg For many, especially church leaders, Christmas is more chaos than celebration. Besides the extra programs and parties, family responsibilities and expectations also expand. These short meditations (starting today and continuing with a new, early morning post each day through January 1) are designed with leaders in mind. Take a few minutes each day to ponder these thoughts designed to help you find the wonder of the incarnation in the midst of your responsibilities. Advent is simply a time to prepare for the celebration of Christ”s birth. In liturgical settings, Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and centers

December 5, 2015

Michael C. Mack

Celebrate Your Volunteers This Season

By Michael C. Mack This is a great time of year to say thank-you and let your volunteers know how much you appreciate them for their service. Here are five simple but significant giving ideas: 1. Be sure your gift communicates that you care about and appreciate each person as an individual. 2. If you have a large number of volunteers, it may be cost prohibitive to send each one an extravagant gift, but you can send a high-quality Christmas card””not the $3 boxed set of 100 cards!””with a personal note in each one, thanking them for their ministry, letting

December 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Disrupted

By Jeff Ahlberg A world changed. You could even say it was disrupted. The course of humanity would never be the same because of one tiny baby born to humble beginnings. We all know this story, but do we really live our Christmas season as though it will change the world? This year Amor Ministries is challenging you to do just that. Join us for 24 Days of Disrupt this Advent season to help Christmas have an even greater impact on your family, community, and the world around you. We created 24 Days of Disrupt to help families and individuals better

December 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Away in a Manger

By Lee Magness Luke tells us three things about the location of Jesus” birth: the town, the building, and the furniture. First, Luke emphasizes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, mentioning the town four times (2:4, 6, 11, and 15). Bethlehem was a farming village, insignificant except for one thing””being the birthplace of King David. No, make that two things””Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Jesus, the “bread of life,” was born in the “house of bread.” Second, Luke tells us there was no guest room for Mary and Joseph when it was time for Jesus to be born (Luke 2:7).

December 3, 2015

Michael C. Mack

Holiday Season Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Give gifts to people in need. Use the gift catalogs from International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES)””go to ides.org, select About Us, and then Newsletters, and then Gift Catalog””or World Vision (www.worldvision.org) to provide people the opportunity to buy useful gifts such as animals, handcrafted gifts, or clean water for children and families in need. You can even create a gift registry to help raise funds. Give gifts of time. In a small group or class, have each person identify one person they know who may need a listening ear or emotional availability from a friend this

December 3, 2015

Christian Standard

16 Ways to Make Your Minister Happy at Christmas

By Jennifer Johnson 1. Say the following to him in November: “What”s the biggest need for the Sunday before Christmas? What about Christmas Eve? I”m on it.” 2. Give him a gift card (or just some cash!). Do not give him a plate of cookies, an inspirational wall hanging, or a Bible. 3. Encourage him to take off the weekend after Christmas (or, even better, the entire week), and enthusiastically attend services that Sunday even though he”s not preaching. 4. Give extra money to the church. 5. Do not expect him to be at all three performances of the children”s

December 2, 2015

Christian Standard

Christmas: It”s a Heart Thing

By Jim Tune In his excellent book simply titled Preaching, Tim Keller commits an entire chapter to the notion and need for preachers to preach Christ to the heart. “Preaching,” according to Keller, “cannot simply be accurate and sound. It must capture the listeners” interest and imaginations; it must be compelling and penetrate to their hearts. It is possible merely to assert and confront and feel we have been very “˜valiant for truth,” but if you are dry or tedious, people will not repent and believe the right doctrine you present.” Arguing that we should preach “wondrously,” Keller contends that

November 27, 2015

Christian Standard

The Cardboard Lamb

By Victor Knowles When I was a little boy my parents bought a Christmas manger set. On the box were these words: “The Christmas story in beautiful cutout scenes and lifelike figures . . . It tells the Christmas story . . . Fascinates young and old.” I remember how special it was to assemble the cardboard set on Christmas Eve. I would lie on the living room floor, face in hands, and gaze at those familiar figures for hours. In the background was the little town of Bethlehem. To the left were the shepherds, with one little “adoring child”

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