Wise Men

You have until the end of the year, I believe, to listen to Rev'd Dr Steve Jeffrey and 2 other pannelists discussing the Magi on Radio 4's Beyond Belief (using i-player).

Merry, Worldly, Physical Christmas To You!

Commenting on the conclusion of Ecclesiastes, Jeffrey Meyers says:

“We need to stop compartmentalizing the world. God’s covenant with us is his covenant in Christ with all creation [Col 1:18-23]. In this biblical context, one shouldn’t even raise an eyebrow that Solomon sings the praises of work, wife, feasting, and drinking wine. If that seems too physical, worldly, or unspiritual, maybe it is time for us to get a grip on what the Bible says is truly spiritual.” (Table in the Mist, p205)

Doug Wilson calls it "appalling" to think that all we want for Christmas is a glass of lukewarm water with Jesus!

Feast to the glory of God, with grateful hearts.

The Nation's Favourite Carols

Results of a You Gov poll from a list of 20. HT: Church Mouse

The top 5:

1. Silent Night (20%)
2. Come All Ye Faithful (10%)
3. Away in a Manger (6%)
4. Once in Royal David's City (5%)
5. Little Town of Bethlehem (5%)

Peace

I'm planning to preach on Luke 2:1-20 at our Midnight Communion Service on Christmas Eve and enjoyed reading this.

Suspend Your Belief?

It matters what we sing, right? Especially in public worship? Words that we sing are likely to stick in our heads and affect our thinking.

How much do we care about the words of our carols? Should we avoid singing ones that might be untrue or unhelpful? Should they come with a health-warning from the front? Or does everyone take them with a pinch of salt anyway, and is that okay?!

What's all this talk about snow ("In the bleak mid-winter" etc.)? Was it (likely) to have been snowy in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? Does it matter? Am I being too literal minded there?

Surely the little Lord Jesus did make some crying Away In that Manger, didn't he? Does it not undermine the reality of the incarnation to think that Jesus didn't cry?

What if there were not 3 kings of Orient and they weren't kings?

Is Good King Wensuslas bad?

Unto Us A Child Is Born

I'm thining of preaching on Isaiah 9 in our Christmas Carol service and wondering if we should try to play this video from Handel's Messiah with what seems to be called Kinetic Typography, which I think means you see the text on the screen in an interesting way fitting in with the music!

The Nativity

I'll be interested to see The Nativity, a drama about the birth of Christ, Mon 20th - Thurs 23rd Dec, 7-7:30pm, BBC1. Let's hope it gets people talking about Jesus.

Christmas Gags

Of course, Christmas sermons don't need spicing up with lame jokes, but just in case:

Q: Why doesn't Santa allow his helpers to ride on his sleigh?
A: Elfin safety

And thanks to Paul Huxley for commenting the following classic:

Q: How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza?
A: Deep and crisp and even

What do Christians celebrate at Christmas?

An alleged exam howler:

When Joseph and Mary had a baby called Jesus. They travelled to Bethlehem by plane and Pontius was their pilot.

Richard Benson, F in Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders (Marks and Spencer, 2008) p113

New Moses, New Solomon

Matthew 2 presents Jesus as the New Moses and the New Solomon.

Wicked kings tried to kill baby Moses and baby Jesus. Both were forced to flee but were able to return when the wicked king had died. Matthew 2vv13-14 allude to Ex 2:15; vv20-21 allude to Ex 4:19-20. Mention of Egypt recalls Moses too. Jesus is the New Moses who rules his people and saves them from their slavery.

As the Queen of Sheba brought gold and spices to the Son of David (1 Kings 10:1-13), King Solomon (cf. Song of Songs 3:6-10), so wise men from the East bring their gifts to the King of the Jews in the city of David. Jesus is someone great even than Solomon (Matthew 12:42), a wiser and more powerful king.

Christian Stamps

Although the Royal Mail website doesn't exactly trumpet the fact, this year, as an alternative to the Panto stamps, you can request the Christian ones (with images of the Lord Jesus and Mary), though in our local Post Office Mrs Lloyd wasn't offered a choice. No doubt they're carefully hidden away under the counter to avoid offense and so as not to spoil anyone's Winterval. The BBC News Story is here.