Resting in hope now found

Centuries passed since the promise to a people, possibly decades since the promise to this man. This day, Simeon stands, holding promise in his arms.

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Informants

• Luke 2:25-35

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(C) Laura Springer

Laura's Writings by Laura Springer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This Amazing Baby

Soiling diapers, whimpering for his mother’s breast, this weak and fragile child is fully human. Yet he is God made visible, supreme Creator, ultimate end.

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Informants

• Col. 1:15-20

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(C) Laura Springer

Laura's Writings by Laura Springer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Why Christmas? Part Three

Our oozing, spreading conflict under-the-sun, is transformed by incarnate God into diffusible wholeness and healed relations, so intriguing peace can flow among us.

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Why Christmas? Part One

Because of

• God's multi-functional, relational love.
• God's multi-situational, connectional presence.
• God's multi-behavioral, intentional advocacy.

"For God loved the world in this way..."

John 3:16-18 HCSB

Informants

• definition of "tangent" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.
• sermon: Christmas--A Celebration of God

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WHAT ARE YOU CELEBRATING TODAY?

Celebrating the incarnation is to be distinguished from celebrating Christmas. Celebrating incarnation requires intentional thought. Celebrating Christmas requires cultural tradition. Both are good; one, better.

SINCE GOD BECAME ONE OF US,,,

Do we—can we—understand this God turned human infant, complete with diaper changes and midnight feedings?

Too easily seeing wholly other or wholly same…


Tag(s): Christmas incarnation

ECCLESIA in CONCEPT and REALITY

Thinking about the Church with Berkhof:
What it is and what it is not—
Communio Sanctorum or visible structure?

After, dinner with friends.

Good day!

THE DITHER OVER THE WISEMEN

There's quite a dither flying about the blogosphere about Rowan Williams calling the nativity a legend. It appears this claim is taken wildly out of context by those whose primary theology sources are Christmas cards and Christmas carols. Here's the full "offending quote"--which, in context, is not at all offending to anyone who has read and understood the account in Matthew.

Well Matthew's gospel doesn't tell us that there were three of them, doesn't tell us they were kings, doesn't tell us where they came from, it says they're astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire. That's all we're really told so, yes, 'the three kings with the one from Africa' - that's legend; it works quite well as legend.

Full text of the interview: Archbishop's interview with Simon Mayo

Full text of Matthew's account of the wise men (Matthew 2:1-12)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Tag(s): rowan williams nativity christmas

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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/

IN CASE YOU ARE UNAWARE

...it's not actually about some elf named Santa
or presents
or dead pine trees
or blinking lights
or foil wrapped trees (what's up with that, by the way?)
or eating too much
or choir cantatas
or children's plays
or bell music
or shopping
or opening presents

Yes, I realize the culture has made it these things and more. Yes, I realize it is all in fun. But let us not be sucked into the false impression that morphing Christmas into a secular festival does no harm. Let us by no means do that.

The meaning of Christmas is truly only about one thing.

Humanity was designed to live with God in love and trust.

Humanity screwed up and is unable to deliver itself.

God came in real, sweating, hungering, peeing, sleeping human flesh,
which he willingly sacrificed to death for us.

Now, trusting in Jesus rather than trusting in our hopelessly broken selves,
we can live with God in love and trust.

That's Christmas.





Origin of Christmas (the word)
Origin of Christmas (the holiday)
Who is Saint Nicolas?
My "Get your own holiday" rant from 2004


Tag(s): christmas

See CC License


“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/