John 1:1-18 We had our “Christmas in the Barn” again this year. The weather was a little warmer and so the crowd was a little bigger and there were a number of children present with us — ranging in age from 18 months to maybe seven years. I called them to the front after I …
Month: December 2014
What Christmas Eve is For
Luke 2:1-20 As we approach another Christmas Eve, I find myself remembering now one of the first Christmases I served as a pastor. I was still young, of course, and I confess I found myself not quite settled into the role or even into my life as an adult. To be honest, I was struggling …
“Do Not Be Afraid!”
Luke 1:26-38 These powerful words are spoken by angels more than once in the first chapters of Luke. First to Zechariah, who, when he saw the angel standing at the right side of the altar of incense, was, in fact, terrified and was overwhelmed by fear (Luke 1:12). And later when an angel appeared to the shepherds …
John the Baptist: Pointing to Jesus
John 1:6-8, 19-28 I am not an artist, nor do I have a great deal of understanding of art. Indeed, I was a young adult before great art even began to capture my imagination. I was in college and my sister, Martha, and I had ventured into the Art Institute of Chicago for the Monet …