There are lots of things in the Bible that cause me to stop and wonder. There are lots of things I don’t understand, and there are more things that I understand, but then don’t know how to handle. And here is one of them. When the angels announce the birth of Jesus they give the shepherds a sign. Here’s the sign—a baby, wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger. Now, once we get past the romanticism of our Renaissance painting of the nativity scene, you have to wonder, what kind of sign is that? A baby? There are lots ……

Every Christmas we find it remarkable that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Most of us believe Jesus would have made a bigger impact in Jerusalem or Rome. But Jerusalem and Rome were big cities, crowded with commerce and busy with government affairs. Like New York or Washington, important people were busy doing important things in Jerusalem and Rome. By contrast, Bethlehem was a quiet, nondescript village of shepherds and farmers. And maybe that’s why God chose to have Jesus born there, in a quiet, off-the-beaten-path place. Perhaps God, just to make a point, ignores all the so-called centers of power ……

Sometimes people think I don’t like Christmas and in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I love Christmas. I love the story, I love the characters, I love the message of hope – of God coming to our world. What I don’t like is what the world has done to Christmas. I don’t like what the church has allowed the world to do with our holy day. . .that’s right, Christmas is a holy day NOT a holiday. . .and that’s just the first of my gripes. I resent our world drowning out our time of worship with ……

I was a little late getting the Christmas tree up this year. OK, I was a lot late. In fact, as I write this blog, the tree waits for me to complete the finishing touches. I think, however, I am due a little compassion and understanding. I was sick over Thanksgiving and I always put the tree up on “Black Friday” while Jeannie goes shopping. So, I have been trying to catch up ever since. . .and today, I have about caught up. But I noticed something else. When I had the tree in place and the lights came on ……