Tag Archives: Christmas

And a Merry Christmas to all

Fa la la la la, la la la la…

I love the season of Christmas, the giving and receiving of gifts, the awareness in society that things should be different than they are even if many cannot say why. I love spending time with family. I love having time off work. I love the food, mostly baked goodies, around every turn.


Most of all I love the reflection of God becoming human in order to redeem me from sin. This descending to the earth = mind blown for me. The first necessary step on the way to Jesus dying on the cross, Bethlehem’s manger has always captured me entirely.

Perhaps because I am human I can at least imagine the idea of dying for another. I have run such scenarios over in my mind many times.

Perhaps because I know people who have lost children I can at least imagine the pain of having a child die.

But, being holy, omnipotent, and distinct from an entire universe I had created, I cannot imagine. Creating a race upon whom I could bestow love and grace then for those beings turn against me, I cannot imagine. Then leaving aside my privilege, my throne, my universal vantage point, my safety, to become one of the created race as an infant, I cannot imagine. There just is no point of reference for it.

Think for a moment about that. Unlimited power traded for powerlessness. Eyes that oversaw all of creation, now fuzzy, blurry and unfocused. Hands that could weigh the world, barely large enough to wrap around his mother’s finger. The king of angels born in a nondescript, unknown Jewish stall.

The incarnation is the greatest miracle of all. Josh Howerton calls the Incarnation “by far – the most shocking, glorious, mysterious miracle in Redemptive History.” I agree.

We are always warned to not lose Christ in the trappings of Christmas. Let that warning sink in deeply.

Now allow me to wish you a “merry Christmas.” And, rejoice over what that means.

Thank you for your faithful reading of my blog. I will be taking the rest of the year off from writing and doing very little other social media, so Happy New Year as well.

My favorite Christmas art

Each year Hobby Lobby releases original artwork for certain holidays. From the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s these were published in major newspapers on Christmas and Easter. In 2006 Independence Day was added.

Especially in regard to the first two I always thought this was a great example of missional activity by corporate ownership. Run your business well, honor God with your income, and speak the gospel into culture as you can.

Below is the Christmas art from 2004. I remember seeing this for the first time. It was arresting.

Hobby Lobby Christmas art

The 2004 Christmas art from Hobby Lobby [Original]

I realize this may not be art in the classic sense. Da Vinci probably will not be brought to mind. But…

Most Christmas art focuses on Jesus and Mary. Even the recent postage stamps I purchased were Madonna and Child. At best you might get the “holy family” as all three are at the manger.

In this picture, though, the manger is secondary. The cattle may be lowing, but they are more doing what animals do when humans are around: sleeping or watching. The only thing better would have been a big cow with hay protruding from both sides of her mouth. Even Mary is asleep. After all, that is what women do after childbirth if they have a chance.

The scene is thus reframed as son and dad.

Often, I think, Joseph is not given enough credit. He stood with Mary when harsh rumors must have been swirling. We know the rumors of Mary’s sexual impurity were whispered about for years since even after Jesus was an adult He was still thought of by some as “one born from sexual immorality.”

Joseph was obedient to a heavenly vision that may not have made any more sense than how he must have felt when Mary first told him about Gabriel’s annunciation. “Joe, you might want to sit down for a second…”

He was a faithful provider for his family and, as was custom, taught his oldest, albeit adopted, son the trade of being a carpenter. At various times in his life Jesus was called both “the son of the carpenter” and “the carpenter from Nazareth.”

Joseph was a faithful Jew talking Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast. And like any other dad he lost his Son for a couple of days on the return and never missed him.

Men often get a bad rap in our culture. But there is hardly a dad at all who cannot identify with this scene. A young mom resting while first-time dad holds his squirming, stretching, sniffling, yawning, peeing, pooping, crying bundle of wonder.

And in this crowded stall a young Jewish dad held the greatest Wonder of all.

(You can see all Hobby Lobby holiday art here.)

Looking to give this Christmas?

AClogodesignStamp2 If you are looking for a gift that has lasting meaning this Christmas, you might want to check out Advent Conspiracy where we are being encouraged to “give presence.” The [AC] website explains:

People are dying from the lack of clean water. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water born illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. $10 will give a child clean water for life. That’s not an estimate. It’s a fact. And here’s another fact: Solving this water problem once and for all will cost about $10 billion. Not bad considering Americans spent $450 billion on Christmas last year. Our hope is that, by celebrating Christ in a new way at Christmas, the church can serve as the leading movement behind ending the water crisis once and for all.

Advent Conspiracy has partnered with Living Water International in the well drilling project. LWI has a great and unique gift card program; I encourage you to check it out.