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Advent Devotions: The Manger vs. The Mall
For the Third Sunday of Advent our Devotional is "Encountering God in the Checkout Aisle: Finding the Manger Amidst the Madness of the Mall." An excerpt: Every year around this time, I have a familiar experience. I'm out shopping, and I'll go through the checkout line, and pay for my stuff. When the cashier hands me back the change, they'll say "Happy holidays," or perhaps even "Merry Christmas." I'm aware that they may be saying this because they've been told to, and suspicious of the whole business. But at least once every year, I have a cashier who looks me in the eye and says "Merry Christmas," and really means it. And it changes my whole day. Read the rest at our Advent Devotions pages. We're featuring a different Advent Devotional on each Sunday of Advent, closing the series on Dec. 23. We hope these meditations will be a blessing to you!
Posted by RichM at 03:25 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
Advent Devotions: The Messiah's Mom
There was plenty in the Old Testament about the Messiah, but not a word about being the Messiah's Mom. So when Gabriel appears to Mary to deliver the news about her role in God's plan, the young girl has no Scriptural or historical playbook to work from. We can try to imagine ourselves in Mary's shoes, but I don't expect we can ever really grasp the enormity of her situation. Mary must have known there could be problems. But rather than focusing on the size of her problems, she chose to trust in the size of her God. You can read our entire Advent Devotional on Mary for additional reflection.
We're featuring a different Advent Devotional on each of the next five Sundays, closing the series on Dec. 23. Our first devotional focused on Zechariah and his visit from Gabriel. We hope these meditations will be a blessing to you!
Posted by RichM at 10:54 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
Advent Devotions: Zechariah
What would happen if one morning, during the middle of your daily routine, an angel appeared and told you that God had a plan that would completely change your life?
Zechariah's dilemma is recounted by Luke in Chapter 1 of his Gospel. How would you respond? That's the subject of the first of our Advent Devotions, titled simply "Zechariah." We hope these meditations will be a blessing to you!
Posted by RichM at 09:08 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
What Is Advent?
December 2 is the first Sunday of Advent, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas, and the beginning of the Western Christian year. The name Advent is derived from the Latin word "adventus" meaning "the coming" and equates to the Greek term "parousia" which is often used in reference to Christ's Second Coming. The season serves as a dual reminder of the Israelites' lengthy anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah, as well as our expectation of Christ's return.
The earliest Advent can begin is November 27 and the latest is December 3. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). When Christmas Eve is a Sunday, as is the case this year, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.
For more, see our Advent Resources page.
Posted by RichM at 03:20 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
Cyber Monday and Christians
Today you'll be seeing lots of media coverage of Cyber Monday, probably describing it as the kickoff of the online holiday shopping season. This site seeks to focus attention on the spiritual heart of Christmas, rather than the commercial hype. Cyber Monday, like the Black Friday "doorbuster" sales, is the product of heavy promotion by some of the largest retail chains. Contrary to much of the spin, it isn't even the busiest day of the year for online sales.
Rather than adding to the hype and sales for Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other retailers, I felt this would be an opportunity to instead shine a spotlight on the many Christian retailers. These companies and individuals have placed their faith at the center of their lives and their business. I encourage you to visit these web sites and consider supporting these businesses. Keep Christ at the center of Christmas with gifts that uplift your family and your faith.
If you have dealt with other quality Christian web merchants, feel free to share your experiences in the comments.
Posted by RichM at 01:56 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
Christian Christmas Poems
This year we'll be blogging about many facets of the Christmas season, and pointing to quality sites and information resources for Christians. One subject we haven't covered previously is Christmas poetry. We've reviewed many resources for Christian Christmas poems, and here are a few we've found worthwhile:
- Christmas Poems: An extensive collection of Christmas poems compiled by the Marian Center at the University of Dayton.
- Christmas Poems: A nice collection of traditional Christmas poems, some dating as far back as the 14th century.
- Apples 4 The Teacher: Excellent collection of Chirtsmas poems and recitals for children.
- A Holy Christmas - Poems: Richard Fairchild's excellent collection of Christmas links has a fine poetry section.
Are there any good resources we've missed? If so, share them in the comments.
Posted by RichM at 01:27 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
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