“I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours.” (The Methodist Service Book)

A special milestone for Val’s Uncle John.

Iraqi Christians gather defiantly to mark Christmas in church where many killed
Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 | Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Christians gathered Saturday to mark Christmas in the same church where less than two months ago dozens from their beleaguered community were killed by Muslim extremists intent on driving them from Iraq.

The walls were pockmarked with bullet holes, plastic sheeting covered gaps where glass windows used to be and small pieces of dried flesh and blood remain stuck to the ceiling.

In front of the alter were photos of the dead parishioners, and twin black cassocks hung from the walls representing the two priests killed in the October bloodbath.

“No matter how hard the storm blows, love will save us,” Archbishop Matti Shaba Matouka told the congregation.

The storm has blown violently against Iraqi Christians this fall. Continue reading ‘christmas in iraq’ »

Growing up in a dutch immigrant community and family, there were a number of traditions that we shared that were unique to us.
One of them is the song below.
Somehow, even when we didn’t sing with orchestra or organ or choir like this (I wish), it still stirred the emotions (even now brings tears to my eyes, good memories).
Its a repetitive chorus based on the angels message to the shepherds ( You can find the words in english and dutch here).
Glory to God!!!!!

Wendy Bakker sent this article written by her brother which captures the “shock value” for the birth of Jesus. Enjoy…

And You Will Find Him In A Blue Box
By Lloyd Rang (published in Christian Courier, December 13 Issue)

I have never met a shepherd.

I’ve never been to the “swaddling cloths” section of Zeller’s.

I have never seen a manger – although I pitched my share of hay bales, growing up.

And although I’m sure Quirinius, the governor of Syria, was a big deal back in his day, I know nothing about him.

I’ll bet you don’t, either.

The thing is, 2000 years ago, swaddling cloths and mangers were commonplace, everyday items.

Today, they sound exotic.

And then, there were shepherds. In Jesus’ time they were the butt of jokes. Social outcasts. And yet today, when our kids put on Christmas pageants, the Shepherds are always immaculately dressed in terrycloth bathrobes.

And that’s the problem with the Christmas story, as told in the Gospel of Luke. It’s so full of things that are alien to us that it sounds practically majestic. And, so, we miss the point.

Jesus wasn’t born into a world that was expecting him. He wasn’t born into some historical Hallmark Moment where everyone looked their Sunday best. He was born into a busy, working world. But because his time is so distant from our own, we forget just how amazing it was that the divine should come to a world so mundane.

So imagine the story if Jesus were born now – in an ordinary, workaday world? It might go something like this: Continue reading ‘born in a blue box?’ »

I saw this at Durham Christian High’s Christmas program last night.
Too bad I didn’t have this for my message last Sunday.
The only thing I said differently was that the animals were kept in the house, not in cave.
I found several links to research suggesting that they were welcomed into a home, and that smaller animals were kept inside the home as well, with mangers inside too!
But aside from this, I like how this video challenges us about our Christmas myth-conceptions.

I love how the arts can capture something in such a compelling way.
Thanks Tim, this video really does capture what I was wanting to say in my message…