And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

- Luke 2:8-14, ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

- Jesus, John 3:16-21, ESV


Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus’ birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals.

Rather, the pagan festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Son” instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the “pagan origins of Christmas” is a myth without historical substance...

- William J. Tighe, "Calculating Christmas", Touchstone Magazine, Dec. 2003 (Read the entire article!)

Some 2700 years ago, on this very planet, in the little Middle Eastern kingdom of Judah, a spokesman for God stormed into the presence of a king. Now, this king was no Good King Wenceslaus! Rather, he was the exceedingly wicked King Ahaz. The prophet's name was Isaiah. Isaiah told Ahaz (among other things) that God Himself would provide a "sign," a supernatural wonder: a virgin would be pregnant, and would give birth to a Son.

Speaking in Hebrew, Isaiah called the virgin an `almâ. This is the perfect term to describe a virgin. It is used nine times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Every time we know anything about the `almâ in question, she is a marriageable virgin. (Check them out: Genesis 14:43; Exodus 2:8; 1 Chronicles 15:20; Psalm 46 [title]; 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; Song of Solomon 1:3; 6:8; and Isaiah 7:14.). In fact, our English word "virgin" is exactly the right translation; those English versions which avoid this term are simply equivocating. The Jews thought it the right term as well, themselves. Jewish scholars living centuries before Jesus' birth translated this passage into Greek. They used the Greek term parthenos, which unambiguously means "virgin."

...Further, we learn that this virgin-born Child would be called `immanû 'el, which is Hebrew for "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14). This promise means more than the nice idea that God would be on the Jews' side, which they believed anyway. No, it means that God would be personally present in this Child. Immanuel would be the Prince of Peace, and would Himself actually be Jehovah, the Mighty God, in human flesh (cf. Isaiah 9:6 and 10:21).

And so it happened, some 730 years after Isaiah's prophecy! Right in line with this and many other specific predictions, and right on schedule (Daniel 9:24-27), a young virgin named Mary conceived a Child. This boy was called Yešû'a (the Hebrew word for "salvation"; through the Greek Iesous we derive Jesus), because He would "save" His people from their sin (Matthew 1:18-21).

Jesus is this Child's personal name; His title in Hebrew was mašîach, which we pronounce "Messiah." Both the Hebrew term mašîach, and its Greek translation Christos (Christ), mean "anointed one." The term refers to the ancient ceremony of pouring oil on the heads of prophets, priests, and kings. This one Person, the Messiah, would be the long-promised Anointed Prophet, Priest, and King.

From this title we derived the first part of the word Christmas, the celebration lauding the birth of Jesus, the Messiah — the Christ.

- Daniel J. Phillips, "To Tell The Truth, Virginia..."


Jesu, joy of man's desiring,
Holy Wisdom, Love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls, aspiring,
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashion'd,
With the fire of life impassion'd,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying, round Thy throne.

Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings!
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.


Merry Christmas, everyone!