The Beatitudes of Bethlehem A new kind of Kingdom was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas. This was to be an upside-down Kingdom that would flip the script on who is really blessed and who is not in God’s unfolding plan. The babe in a manger would grow up in obscurity until one day he … More Advent 2020 Overview
The blessings of Bethlehem don’t fly up to the mighty on the mountaintops, but flow downward into the valleys flooded with the tears of the mourners—from Bethlehem to Sandy Hook. … More Blessed are the Emotional Wrecks
Ebenezer Scrooge had a hard time grasping and embracing the spirit and message of Christmas. The rich and self-sufficient always do. Their own personal kingdoms loom so large that they have a hard time making room for God’s Kingdom—and all the poor and lowly riff-raff to whom it belongs. … More Blessed are the Poor Shepherds
Thirty years have passed since I sat on the garage roof staring up at the night sky. The worries and cares of a middle schooler have been upgraded to the burdens of a father, husband and pastor living in this current moment of darkness and fear. Perhaps, this Advent, you also feel like we’re sitting collectively on a cold and icy roof, staring up at the Heavens and badly need to hear these words this Advent: “The people sitting in a pandemic have seen a great light, and to those sitting in the land and shadow of covid, a light has dawned on them” (Matt 4:16). … More Boyhood Epiphany on a Garage Roof
The Bethlehem Revolution is for all who find themselves at the end of their rope; for those who have hit the wall; for all who have climbed to the top of the ladder only to be pushed off, and can’t find the strength to start climbing again. … More Beatitudes of Bethlehem – Intro
Those angels outside Bethlehem could have been Jewish Jedis when they came with their greeting that was essentially, “May the Force be with you” — that is, may the Peace or Shalom of God be with all upon whom God’s favor rests (cf. Luke 2:14)! … More May the Force be with You!
The very name Epiphany carries a wonderful abundance of connotations: revelation and realization and disclosure and manifestation, all with an element of surprise – a illumination of insight in which everything is transformed. … More Are You Ready for Epiphany?
I’m so glad the shepherd’s near Bethlehem didn’t have smartphones or Netflix that first Christmas. Can you imagine the scene? … More Keeping Watch in the New Year
This week’s Words of Wisdom (WOW) come from Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): “The time of the Incarnation was most suitable. Had God come to man to redeem us immediately after the first sin was committed, human pride would not have been humbled in consequence of that sin; man would not have realized, through an impressive stretch of time, the greatness of the treasure he had lost. … More WOW – Aquinas on the Incarnation
“Man’s maker was made man that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that Truth might be accused of false witnesses, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.” … More WOW – Augustine on the Incarnation
Someone has said that the door of the stable where Jesus was born was very low to the ground, so people had to bow down humbly on their hands and knees in order to approach the manger to worship the savior. And did you ever notice that we find the same kind of folks surrounding the manger as we find at the foot of the cross? … More Sermon: The Greatest Gift
Three Kings came riding from far away, Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar; Three Wise Men out of the East were they, And they travelled by night and they slept by day, For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star. The star was so beautiful, large and clear, That all the other stars of the sky … More The Three Kings (Longfellow)
Oh, Prince of Peace, help your people to establish your reign of shalom in our war torn world. Use your Body, the global church, to obliterate the dividing walls of hostility we have erected. … More Prince of Peace, Reign Through Us
Those who carry a “father wound” often subconsciously project their pain, anger, or fear onto their Heavenly Father. They may picture God as distant, or disinterested, or capricious or temperamental. Jesus came to show us the true heart of the Father. … More Everlasting Father Wounds
Do you struggle to pray? Does your mind drift and wander off? Let’s turn one of the most familiar Scriptures of the Christmas season into a prayer. … More A Christmas Prayer (Isaiah 9:6)
“It’s all upside down!” was the perfect remark by a 14-year old after our youth group gathered in my cozy study to discuss the story of Christmas. … More The Nativity: “It’s All Upside Down!”
Sometimes we need the advice of a wise and trusted counselor, sometimes the comforting arms of a loving father, sometimes the stability from a benevolent leader and sometimes we need the protection of a strong champion. This week we will look at the title “Mighty God”. … More Christ Our Champion (Mike Fox)
We shove all these disappointments and confusions into a spiritual junk drawer – we don’t know where else to put them. We tell ourselves, “I’ll deal with it later.” … More Junk Drawer Spirituality (Huddle Qs)
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Andy Williams sings in the background while we scrap and scramble about, trying to hold ourselves together and not lose our minds in all the wonderful-ness. While many are weighed down by the external busyness of the season, I want to speak to those of us who … More Why ‘God-with-Us’ Seems Far Away
A tearjerking poem I pull out every first (big) snowfall. With love to all who have suffered great loss, but who also know the grace that gently covers our great sorrow like a fresh blanket of snow. … More The First Snowfall
The Work of Christmas by Rev Dr Howard Thurman (1899-1981) When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To … More The Work of Christmas
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not … More Sermon: Christmas Hide & Seek
Here’s the hauntingly beautiful ancient hymn we featured at our Christmas Eve service. Listen below after reading the words. O SAVIOR OF OUR FALLEN RACE Ancient Christmas Hymn, circa 6th Century O Savior of our fallen race, O Brightness of the Father’s face, O Son who shared the Father’s might Before the world knew day … More O Savior of Our Fallen Race
by Author Unknown Pa never had such compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from … More Old Fashioned Christmas
The escape attempts from Alcatraz were thwarted every time as the fugitives were swallowed up in the frozen waters of the San Francisco Bay. The scandal of Christmas is that God does not leave sin-stained humanity stranded on an island or demand we swim through icy waters for our freedom. It celebrates God’s swim across the cold waters in order to secure our freedom. … More Christmas at Alcatraz
Jeremy L. Berg 