Let Heaven and Nature Sing
The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:10, NASB) Perhaps my favorite Christmas hymn is Isaac Watts’s majestic “Joy to the World!” set to Handel’s regal strain: Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King. Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing! I’ve often
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Strange Traditions, Unchanging Truth
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, NASB) In December of 1993, I visited Germany for the first time, stepping from my comfortable American surroundings into an unfamiliar European culture. During the Christmas season, the already charming country of Germany transforms into an enchanting wonderland. I had never experienced such
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The Word Became Flesh
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14, NASB) The message of Christmas is the message of the incarnation of Christ—fully God and fully man, two complete natures in one unique Person. C. S. Lewis called it “the Grand Miracle” of Christianity. If you think that sounds a little heavy for a
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The First First Noel
“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV) When we think of Christmas, we don’t usually think of snakes—much less “that serpent of old . . . the Devil” (Rev. 12:9). And
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