“Jackson County, Ind., can enjoy its holiday cheer, at least for now. A federal appeals court on Thursday hit pause on a lower court order that found a Nativity scene in front of the county courthouse unconstitutionally promoted Christianity.” - WORLD
“It wasn’t just the commercialization of Christmas that Lewis disdained. It was the trivialization of the historical event of Christ’s birth. Lewis thought the commercial racket should be detached from the remembrance of what the angels celebrated nearly 2,000 years ago.” - Christianity Today
The second Person of the triune God added a human nature to His divine nature a little more than 2,000 years ago. This stupendous and miraculous event was revealed to God’s people from the beginning of the world. God announced to Satan not long after the creation of Adam and Eve (which occurred “at the beginning,” Matt. 19:4): “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed [the unbelieving community of mankind] and her seed [all true believers represented by their Savior]; [He] shall bruise thy head [a fatal, judicial blow delivered to Satan at the cross—John 12:31], and thou shalt bruise His heel [the crucifixion of Christ]” (KJV, Gen. 3:15).
“An article by Georgetown history professor Vanessa Corcoran entitled How St. Francis created the Nativity scene, with a miraculous event in 1223 tells the tale.” - Gene Veith
“Ever since ‘the lights went out in Eden’ with Adam’s fall this world and our race have been living in darkness both morally and spiritually….How striking, therefore, that John should give us the words that most aptly sum up the significance of the story of redemption that is embedded in the history of our world and incarnated in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth.
“One of my personal traditions over the past few Advents has been to read J. I. Packer’s chapter on the incarnation in Knowing God. This is far and away my favorite chapter in my favorite extrabiblical book, and it’s my joy to revisit it often.” - TGC
Reposted from The Cripplegate.
Depression and discouragement are not respecters of the holidays. For many reasons, the normal sorrow of life can reach a highpoint this time of year for some.
It may be a reminder that we are without a loved one. It may be financial stress, or loss, in a time where the pressure is to purchase. It might be emotional pressure of getting together with broken family. We just may not have a clue why we are discouraged, which can be discouraging itself. We can, even unintentionally, place big demands on this time of year to deliver and fulfill us in impossible ways, apart from God.
“Though we often focus on the beginning of Luke 2 at Christmas, the middle of Luke chapter 2 describes two individuals who had been waiting to see God fulfill His promises and their joy in seeing the beginning of this fulfillment in the birth of Jesus.” - DBTS Blog
The gospel according to Luke records that on the night of Jesus’ birth an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks in a field outside the Judean village of Bethlehem. The angel announced “good news of great joy” which included the benediction: “Peace on earth” (Luke 2:10, 14).
“To coexist and cultivate forms of social cohesion are good things. Tolerance is vitally important. But tolerance of differences does not go far enough.” - Paul Louis Metzger
