Luke 2:17-20 Well, Christmas day is over. The presents are gone from under the tree. It was a wonderful time, no doubt, of giving and receiving gifts. To see the faces of those we love opening packages with eager anticipation is very gratifying. It brings out the child in us, even if we are many years past childhood. All kinds of joyous emotions well up inside of us. Anticipation, enthusiasm, surprise, delight even joy overtakes us. What a wonderful time it can be. After the

Luke 2: 21 - 28 Instead of preparing Him room, I wonder if we’ve allowed the Saviour to be stolen from our celebrations. Our society has sanitized the spiritual. For some of us the Saviour has been swiped from Christmas and we haven’t even noticed. Are you aware there’s only one verse in the Gospels that describes the actual details of the birth of Jesus? Luke 2: 7 “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there

Luke 2: 8 – 20 Some of us are so comfortable with the Christmas story it makes us a bit sleepy. Because our culture has sentimentalized this season, it’s easy to skim along on a superficial level, stressing about all the things to do, while neglecting the Nativity. Little girl who misquoted John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only forgotten Son.” Has Christmas become too predictable, too familiar, too forgotten? Have you heard the Christmas narrative so mu

Luke 1: 26 - 56 “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” - poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 2 years before writing it, Longfellow’s personal peace was pulverized when his wife was tragically burned in a fire. Then, during the Civil War, his oldest son joined the army without his father’s blessing and ended up severely wounded. He writes about hearing Christmas bells that speak of peace but he doesn’t have any peace in his heart – “And in despair I bowed my head: ‘There

Luke 1: 1 - 25 “Crazy, Busy, Peaceful, Holy Night” How many of you feel like the Christmas season is crazy busy? It sure seems more hectic than holy, doesn’t it? I wonder how many of us are stressed simply because we’re focusing more on our feelings than on the facts of Christmas. Postmodernism is the prevailing philosophy of our day, which is the belief there is no such thing as absolute truth. Rather, truth is personal and subjective – I have my truth and you have your trut

Matthew 26:57-68 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Before the Sanhedrin 57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.

1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27 The early church may not have had a World Cup Final, but they were all familiar with athletic contests. The Olympics started in that part of the world. No doubt wives have been shaking their heads for thousands of years wondering why their husbands get so excited. Athletic contests are important. Paul even used athletic contests to illustrate spiritual truths. The principles which apply to athletics also apply to living the Christian life. Each man on