“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple,…
“The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Today is commonly known as “Boxing Day”. Several theories exist on how Boxing Day got its name. It may come from a tradition in the U.K. in which household employers boxed gifts for their servants. Whatever…
“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste,…
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For…
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” Luke 2:4-5 This Christmas…
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, Christian Standard Bible). It’s that time of year again when we hear the word “exchange” a lot. There are gift exchanges and cookie exchanges. And let’s…
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, Christian Standard Bible). One of the strangest conversations I’ve had was with…
“Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, ‘God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.’ So Joseph died at the age of 110. After they embalmed him, his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:25-26,…
“He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him” (John 1:10, New English Translation). As I sat in church, the words of the song “Down from His Glory” washed over me. Once again, I was reminded of the glory God…