Posts with the category “holidays”
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Monday, January 2, 2023
January 2nd, 2023
3 John is a small letter. This letter is tucked away almost at the back of the Bible. It can be easy to miss or overlook. It is rarely read or studied by individuals or classes. It cou... Read More
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Thursday, December 22, 2022
December 22nd, 2022
Not long after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Temple to comply with the purification rites that the Law of Moses required. Upon arriving at the Temple, they met a “righte... Read More
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Wednesday, December 21, 2022
December 21st, 2022
We might not expect to find much about Christmas or the Christmas story in 2 John but we actually do. There is an important truth to be gleaned from this small, one- chapter book near the ... Read More
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Tuesday, December 20, 2022
December 20th, 2022
It is almost impossible to imagine what Mary must have been thinking as the day of her son’s birth drew near. Any mother-to-be is thrilled with the first sight and touch of her baby boy o... Read More
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Monday, December 19, 2022
December 19th, 2022
Luke 2:8-9 says, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone... Read More
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Thursday, December 15, 2022
December 15th, 2022
Luke presents the beautiful Christmas story in chapter two of his gospel. It is a familiar account to most of us. We read this story every year during the Christmas season. It is a story... Read More
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Tuesday, December 13, 2022
December 13th, 2022
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was fondly called “America’s Poet.” He regaled nineteenth century Americans with works such as “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “The Song of Hiawatha,” and even a poem set t... Read More
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Wednesday, December 7, 2022
December 7th, 2022
We know Peter as a fisherman turned disciple. We know him as an apostle and a missionary of the gospel message in the early church of the first century. We know him as one who cut off th... Read More
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Monday, December 5, 2022
December 5th, 2022
Christmas is the season of gift giving. Children share gift requests with Santa while sitting on his lap. Some retailers allow you to sign-up for a gift registry. Some online sellers ev... Read More
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Monday, November 7, 2022
November 7th, 2022
Paul’s letter named Colossians was intended for the Christians in the city of Colosse. This city was located in what we know as modern-day Turkey. The apostle greeted his readers as “God’... Read More
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Monday, October 31, 2022
October 31st, 2022
Happy Reformation Day! On this day, October 31, we recall the actions of a priest named Martin Luther who nailed ninety-five theses or protests to the door of the Catholic Church in Witten... Read More
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Monday, May 30, 2022
May 30th, 2022
Memorial Day is often regarded as the unofficial beginning of summer. Though the calendar says that summer begins on June 21, the Memorial Day weekend has often been the start signal. Bu... Read More
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Monday, April 18, 2022
April 18th, 2022
All four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, give an account of Jesus’ resurrection. Each one offers some different perspective and detail. But when we bring the accounts together, w... Read More
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Maundy Thursday, April 14, 2022
April 14th, 2022
It was a grim night. It was a disturbing night. It was a confusing night. Grim because death was in the air and everyone seemed to sense that nothing would ever be the same again. Disturbi... Read More
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Wednesday, April 13, 2022
April 13th, 2022
In some Bibles, Psalm 70 is called a petition. And it is. By my count, there are at least nine different petitions or pleas in this one chapter. David was asking the LORD to go to work o... Read More
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022
April 12th, 2022
Across his sixty-six chapters, Isaiah had much to say about the condition of the world and God’s plans to bring renewal and salvation. God’s plans would certainly include the redemption o... Read More
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Monday, April 11, 2022
April 11th, 2022
This Holy Week is a story of faithfulness. The Father was faithful to create a plan to save the world and to redeem the world from sin and slavery. The Son was faithful to carry out the Fat... Read More
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Monday, February 14, 2022
February 14th, 2022
The love we find in God is perfect love. No love is greater. It is sufficient love. His love lacks nothing. It is expressed love. God shows His love to us. It is unconditional love. ... Read More
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Thursday, December 16, 2021
December 16th, 2021
There is a poem or writing that I always enjoy this time of year. Each Advent season, I return to the words of Dr. James Allan Francis who wrote “One Solitary Life.” This poem is Dr. Fran... Read More
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Wednesday, December 15, 2021
December 15th, 2021
We all know from the Christmas story that Joseph was chosen by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. Imagine being that man! Joseph was bewildered, overwhelmed even, by what God was askin... Read More
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Monday, December 13, 2021
December 13th, 2021
We often find God at work in unlikely places. And the Christmas story makes this truth abundantly clear to us. God was at work in an ordinary young woman like Mary and a simple carpenter li... Read More
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Thursday, December 9, 2021
December 9th, 2021
Christmas is a time for making memories. Christmas is also a time for remembering special moments and occasions. Traditions are often made when someone decides that something was so joyful ... Read More
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Wednesday, December 8, 2021
December 8th, 2021
The Bible opens with four powerful words—in the beginning God. Those four words, or six syllables, are the finest theology that you will find anywhere. Because God was in the beginning (and... Read More
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Tuesday, December 7, 2021
December 7th, 2021
A “No Vacancy” sign can send shivers up the spine of anyone who is in desperate need for a place to spend the night. I can recall making a long, late-night and early-morning trip of the east ... Read More
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Monday, December 6, 2021
December 6th, 2021
At our live nativity scene on Saturday night, a number of people noticed the bright and compelling star in the sky that seemed to be directly centered over the scene itself. Whether it was ... Read More
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Thursday, December 2, 2021
December 2nd, 2021
John’s Gospel presents a distinctly different look at Jesus than the other three gospel accounts. While Matthew and Luke begin with words about genealogy, Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ birth and... Read More
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
December 1st, 2021
Preparation is an important word in the Advent season. It is part of our Christmas lexicon. It seems almost like a command. We are to prepare our minds, hearts and lives for the coming of Jesus. T... Read More
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Tuesday, November 30, 2021
November 30th, 2021
Christmas comes every year And Christmas is new every year. It arrives at precisely the same time—December 25th. But Christmas is an old story. There are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies about... Read More
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Monday, November 29, 2021
November 29th, 2021
We now find ourselves in the early days of the Advent season—a season of anticipation and waiting as we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus. Advent also reminds us that He will come a... Read More
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Thursday, November 25, 2021
November 23rd, 2021
Happy Thanksgiving to you! A long time ago, in 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation designating November 26 as a day for giving thanks. The text of his proclamation is below, prov... Read More
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021
November 23rd, 2021
There is an old expression that says, “don’t just stand there, do something.” And certain times demand action. Certain occasions call for responses. Thanksgiving is one of those occasion... Read More
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Tuesday, November 23, 2021
November 23rd, 2021
Words possess power. And words are one way that we communicate with one another. God created language and gave us this gift as a way both to bless and serve Him. We use words as we sing ... Read More
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Monday, November 22, 2021
November 22nd, 2021
Grace is certainly a word commonly used among Christians. We often define grace as “unmerited favor.’ We recognize that we have done nothing to gain this divine goodwill. Our English word ... Read More
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Thursday, November 18, 2021
November 18th, 2021
David was one of the largest figures in the history of Israel. He ranks near Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. He came to the throne as a shepherd after God had rejected Saul as Israel’s kin... Read More
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Wednesday, November 17, 2021
November 17th, 2021
Researchers suggest that the world has a population of about 7.9 billion people. Projections say that the world’s population will likely reach ten billion by 2057. Today’s median age on p... Read More
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Tuesday, November 16, 2021
November 16th, 2021
Colossians is Paul’s New Testament letter to the Christians and churches in Colosse, an ancient city in Asia Minor. His intent in writing was to offer a general message of goodwill and encouragement ... Read More
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Monday, November 15, 2021
November 15th, 2021
The pivotal event of the Old Testament was the Exodus where God led Israel safely out of captivity and slavery. From that extraordinary event would come the building of Israel and ultimately Jesus th... Read More
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Thursday, November 11, 2021
November 11th, 2021
Today is November 11. It is day 315 of 2021. We have 50 days left in this year. But, more importantly, today is Veterans Day. It is an occasion where we can say thank you to the many Americans who... Read More
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Monday, November 1, 2021
November 9th, 2021
On the Christian Church calendar, yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day. We recall that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses or protests to the door of the church at Witt... Read More
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