Articles for tag: Christmas

May 25, 2008

Christian Standard

Reclaiming Joy in Daily Life

By Victor M. Parachin While running errands one day, Kimberly Kirberger passed two teenagers holding a car wash sign. Her car was dirty, so she pulled over. While waiting in line, Kirberger was curious what motivated nearly 50 teenagers to devote an entire Saturday to washing cars. After her car was washed, she handed the teens a 20-dollar bill and asked what they were raising money for. They explained that a friend of theirs””C.T. Schmitz””had recently died of cancer. He was 15 years old, 6-feet-2, and had a lot of friends, all of whom described him as a “boy sweeter

May 11, 2008

Christian Standard

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Church! Blur the Lines

By Brad Canning “Blur the lines between church and community.” Those words were uttered a few hours past midnight as we crafted a vision statement for a church that could become a reality. From the beginning of Church! Of Park Slope, that statement has significantly impacted the way our team views this new church in Brooklyn, New York. We are the kingdom of God in our neighborhood. We have tried to move beyond defining “church” as a building with pews or as a place where people worship on Sunday. The church is a group of Jesus followers who go into

December 23, 2007

Christian Standard

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and John the Prophet

By Robert Lowery What in the world does Charles Dickens, the 19th-century British author, have to do with the first-century prophet John? I made a connection just the other night after reading Dickens”s short story, A Christmas Carol. The rereading of this classic work intersected with a paper I had graded earlier that evening written by a student in my class on Revelation. The theology of John and Dickens merged late that evening. Most of us are familiar with the characters in the story published in 1843″” Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Bob Cratchit and his family, notably Tiny Tim””if

December 16, 2007

Christian Standard

Messy Christmas!

By Jeff Walling One of the delights of the Christmas season is receiving cards from friends across the country. My wife displays the prettiest ones and leaves the rest in a basket on our kitchen table so we can cruise the photos and say, “Oh! Look how BIG he”s gotten!” about our newest nephew or my largest brother-in-law. Many have the classic nativity scenes, with adoring shepherds, a smiling Mary, and a glowing baby Jesus. It is these that I used to love the most until I came across an uncomfortable truth: Those Christmas cards are completely unbiblical. And what”s

December 24, 2006

Brian Lowery

seeking the seeker

‘Tis the Season

Christmas awakens a restless longing in many—through perfectionism, loneliness, grief, or escape. Like the Magi, people seek what they can’t fully name. This reflection calls believers to notice that longing and reach out.

December 24, 2006

Mark Scott

Christmas narrative

The Insignificant in Christmas

Mark Scott reflects on Luke’s Christmas narrative, showing how God fills ordinary places, people, and events with profound meaning. From Bethlehem’s fields to the shepherds’ surprise, Christmas announces good news for outsiders, too.

December 24, 2006

Christian Standard

O Come Let Us Adore Him

By Jackina Stark “”Tis the season to be BUSY.” The way-too-much-to-do usually begins the day after Thanksgiving. Or is the Christmas holiday stressful for only me? Just making my gift lists can wear me out, despite the fact one son-in-law never wants anything but a gift certificate. And most years rushing from store to store to purchase these gifts is a misery, with or without gale winds whipping icy snow into my face. And then, of course, those gifts I”ve toted home and hidden eventually have to be found and wrapped. I”m thrilled, of course, that my husband Tony wraps

December 20, 2006

Mark A. Taylor

Christmas peace

The Path of Peace

A Christmas reflection on the promised peace Christ brings—illustrated through Bill Pile’s response to terminal cancer—and a reminder that joy and peace grow when we stop focusing on ourselves and obey God.

December 17, 2006

Brian Lowery

Prince of Peace

Still Unto Us

A reflection on Christmas amid a world marked by anger and violence. Through Matthew’s birth narrative and Isaiah’s promise, we remember the Prince of Peace and the steady settling-in of shalom.

December 25, 2005

Tom Lawson

Nativity story

Once Upon a Time in Bethlehem

In this imaginative Christmas retelling, Mary fears she has ruined God’s plan—until shepherds arrive with news of angels, glory, and a sign in Bethlehem. Regret gives way to wonder as joy breaks through the stable’s door.

December 11, 2005

Tom Lawson

treasures or trinkets

A Junky Christmas

“Treasures or trinkets—it’s all in the eyes of the beholders.” This Christmas reflection looks at the Magi’s gifts and reminds us that trinkets become treasure as symbols of adoration, gratitude, and love.

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