Christianity,Thursday, December 08, 2005
Christmas is falling on a Sunday this year. Many churches are not holding a Christmas day service. Many churches are holding a Christmas day service.
Our church, Church on the Hill, is holding a Christmas day service. It will be Christmas morning, during the time that most kids are exploding at the seams, ready to open their presents. What should the Church do on a day like this, when it falls on the sacred Sunday?
It’s no secret that Christmas has become a very secular holiday. Even Christians who know the religious significance and importance of Christmas loose sight of the real reason for the season. Jesus Christ was born into the world. Sometimes it seems like the Christmas songs we hear on secular radio have more heartfelt acknowledgement of Christ’s birth.
Let be real, it’s Christ’s birthday. What better way to celebrate Christ’s birthday than to get together with the body of Christ, our brother’s and sisters in Christ, and have a huge morning celebration. Is it more appropriate that we all wake up and gather around a tree and think about which present is for me? Let’s compare the option, celebrate Christ’s birthday with his beloved Church? Or think only about my family and open presents for me and my family?
There’s an article about this Subject, Mega Churches to Close Door on Christmas Sunday at The Christian Post. James Bratt, a historian at Calvin College commented:
“It’s a sign of how totally identified with the culture [evangelicals have] become,” Bratt said. “The church has subordinated to cultural icons, and family is one of them. ... The logic of that is you should celebrate the holiday in its true sanctuary, which is the home.”
It’s not often than Christmas falls on Sunday. It’s truly special to honor Jesus’s birthday with fellow believers. It’s a good message to our kids and to ourselve, to step away from thinking about ourselves and our family, and put Jesus at the top of our Christmas day celebration. After all, he is the reason for the season.
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Christianity,Monday, December 05, 2005
Has something coincidental ever happen to you and you think—there’s no such thing as coincidence, because God has planned all things?
Well, if you are a Christian, you might have felt a little negatively about the word coincidence. But really, the word does have a place in the Christian vocabulary.
Here’s the definition from http://www.dictionary.com
co?in?ci?dence ( P ) Pronunciation Key (k-ns-dns, -dns)
n.
1. The state or fact of occupying the same relative position or area in space.
2. A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged
So really, the definition of coincidence is percectly okay for the Christian. The word we want to stay away from is chance. For in God’s world, nothing is left to chance.
chance :
1. A.The unknown and unpredictable element in happenings that seems to have no assignable cause.
B. force assumed to cause events that cannot be foreseen or controlled; luck: Chance will determine the outcome.
2. The likelihood of something happening; possibility or probability. Often used in the plural: Chances are good that you will win. Is there any chance of rain?
3. An accidental or unpredictable event.
Christianity,Monday, December 05, 2005
Did you know it is illegal to hand out food to the homeless?
First Baptist, Church on the Hill Junior High Minisitry decided we would bake some goodies and sell the to the congregation. The proceeds would be used to purchase lunch food that we would pass out to the homeless. It was quite an effort. We spent an evening baking, a Sunday morning selling the items, and a Sunday morning assembling the lunches. When we arrive at the park, a police officer promptly greeted us and told us we could not pass out lunches to the homeless in James Park downtown San Jose.
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Christianity,Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Check out the Hall of Contemporary Reformers
It has comical pencil sketches of the likeness of each of today’s popular reformed pastors and theologians. Some of the faces include RC Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper and others. Click on their face and you get a concise biography about each person, including books and publications. There’s quite a few faces that I don’t recognize, I’m going to learn who these people are. Check it out for youself. Hall of Contemporary Reformers
Christianity,Friday, November 18, 2005
Bread for the World, an organization aimed at reducing world hunger, has
released it’s 16th annual hunger report today. Still half the childhood
deaths in Africa are attributed to malnutrition, and in Africa, more than
300 million people live on less than $1 a day.
Read the full Christian Post Article
Or go to Bread for the World for the Hunger 2006 report.
