Strand Magazine published this Christmas Sermon by C. S. Lewis in December of 1946. The title: A Christmas Sermon for Pagans.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
A Manger Scene is on Display
Consider this, my friends today,
when baby Jesus, in a manger lay:
that God's glory has been put on display,
and in a most magnificent way,
that as a baby, now grown to man,
he has completed his most glorious plan.
Love can be seen, but with real clarity now,
not just through, but by pain upon his brow.
This is how God's love is best displayed,
when justice met mercy on the cross that day.
And only through birth and life and death
did resurrection show its breadth:
Sin and Satan and Death defeated,
no hold on Christ had they completed,
now victorious he sits upon a throne
and we through faith in Christ alone
by grace are cleansed from sin: atoned!
partakers in this glorious reality
captured by his love: complete finality.
No other name have lips ever formed,
that took the universe in such a storm:
glory, grace, love, justice, his name,
every knee will bow, one day, proclaim
but this address to him completed
first by Mary when... "I'll call him Jesus."
So consider this, my friends today,
when baby Jesus in a manger lay:
that God' glory has been put on display,
and in the most magnificent way,
that little baby will grow to man,
he will suffer and die according to plan.
so bend your knee in awe today:
a manger scene is on display.
when baby Jesus, in a manger lay:
that God's glory has been put on display,
and in a most magnificent way,
that as a baby, now grown to man,
he has completed his most glorious plan.
Love can be seen, but with real clarity now,
not just through, but by pain upon his brow.
This is how God's love is best displayed,
when justice met mercy on the cross that day.
And only through birth and life and death
did resurrection show its breadth:
Sin and Satan and Death defeated,
no hold on Christ had they completed,
now victorious he sits upon a throne
and we through faith in Christ alone
by grace are cleansed from sin: atoned!
partakers in this glorious reality
captured by his love: complete finality.
No other name have lips ever formed,
that took the universe in such a storm:
glory, grace, love, justice, his name,
every knee will bow, one day, proclaim
but this address to him completed
first by Mary when... "I'll call him Jesus."
So consider this, my friends today,
when baby Jesus in a manger lay:
that God' glory has been put on display,
and in the most magnificent way,
that little baby will grow to man,
he will suffer and die according to plan.
so bend your knee in awe today:
a manger scene is on display.
Free Advent Devotional
In a recent post on the Desiring God website, the new Advent Devotional by John Piper has been made available. The book can be purchased through Amazon as a paperback or a Kindle e-book, but Desiring God has made the pdf available as a download for free. Here is the description of this book (and Advent) from the Desiring God website:
Advent is for adoring Jesus.
The Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. But it is also a season of reflection and preparation for that special day when we mark Immanuel’s coming—the arrival of our eternal God in our own frail humanity.
This is the greatest of history’s many wonders, something too stupendous to celebrate just on one day. Advent is a way of lengthening and intensifying the joy of Christmas.
These 25 brief devotional readings from John Piper begin on December 1 and carry us to Christmas Day. Our hope is that God would use these meditations to deepen and sweeten your adoration of Jesus and help you keep him at the center of your Christmas season.Head on over to the Desiring God website and download this devotional today. Read it with me through the holiday season.
Free Advent Ebook
 |
| http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/good-news-of-great-joy-daily-readings-for-advent |
A year ago, the team here at Desiring God did a deep dive into our thirty-plus-year reservoir of sermons and articles, and selected brief devotional readings for each day of Advent. Now we’ve slightly revised the ebook to have it optimized for 2013. Our hope is that God would use these readings to deepen and sweeten your adoration of Jesus this Advent.It goes on to say:
Many contacted last year to ask for permission to print these devotionals not only for private use, but to share with friends and family — even their whole local congregation. We love that impulse to spread the joy, and gladly encourage you do so. Also, to serve as many as we can, we’ve worked with Amazon to make available a quality paperback version at low cost, in case that’s your preferred format.
You can go to Amazon right now for the discounted ebook version:
Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent
Or you can go to the desiring God website for the Kindle Version, the ePub version or the pdf.
Good News of Great Joy
I have also made a pdf of their pdf to make it easier to print as a booklet.
Booklet Form
Since permission has been given to print this, I think that I am going to print some of these up for my church and try to get everyone to read it together.
A Reading of The Innkeeper by John Piper
My wonderful wife bought me this book last year. This year Crossway with Desiring God is offering a fireside reading of this book. Desiring God hopes to offer Hope for the Hurting This Christmas. If you haven't read this book, this is a wonderful way to hear what it is all about.
John Piper reads "The Innkeeper" from Desiring God on Vimeo.
To read my review of this book from last year, click here. To purchase this book on Amazon just go here, The Innkeeper
.
Man's maker was made man...
And here is that quote from the end:
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 the Truth might be accused of false witness,
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.
~Augustine
The Shepherd's Response
The shepherds responded to the Angel's pronouncement. Does our response match the magnitude of the announcement? Do we think of Christmas in a way that corresponds adequately to the message of Christmas?
Last Sunday I approached this topic, using the announcement of the Angels as my text. Consider listening to this message as you consider your own thoughts and actions this Christmas.
Or you can click here to download this message.
Last Sunday I approached this topic, using the announcement of the Angels as my text. Consider listening to this message as you consider your own thoughts and actions this Christmas.
Or you can click here to download this message.
Christmas Movie 2010
My wife loves to start traditions. In 2004 she came up with the idea of going to the theater each Christmas season to watch a movie. This tradition stuck, so each year we plan a Christmas Movie Day; complete with eating out, getting snacks, picking the perfect movie, and going to said movie. Here is a list of the Christmas Movie Days we have had as a family each year since 2004.
- 2004: Polar Express
- 2005: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
- 2006: Happy Feet
- 2007: Bee Movie
- 2008: The Tale of Despereaux
(which is also a great book
)
- 2009: Up!
This year the movie that we are picking out is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawntreader. As a child, this was my favorite of the Narnia books. I loved the different little islands that they traveled to and the imaginative nature (thanks to C.S. Lewis) of the residents of each of these islands. I have read a few decent reviews of this particular movie, so I am already looking forward to it.
I mention all of this because TODAY is Christmas Movie Day 2010!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)