I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
What unexpected words to use for the Christmas Eve message of the angels. What is wild and sweet about the birth of Christ — the coming of the savior? Plenty.
It was three o’clock in the morning and a bitter, January wind was blowing hard off a frozen Lake Michigan. No one should have been out at this time in this weather, but I was. I was bundled up against the elements because I couldn’t stay in my room any longer. It was the end of the first semester of my senior year in college, and I was cramming for a final in my major field of study. I was not ready. I had whole books yet to read to be ready for this test.
In the town of Bethlehem
A king and ruler, child was born
Not too many people noticed
Just some shepherds on their farm
Plus a few hundred thousand angels
Breaking the heavens with their song
And the rocks and the mountains joined them
For their time had come
– from “Angels’ Song” by John Fischer
It’s Hospitality Night in December. That means our little town swings into Christmas mode tonight in a big way. At 5:00 p.m. the main street in the center of town will be blocked off and stages will be set up, tables in most of the shops will be stocked with wine, cheese, hot cocoa and other treats, and Santa’s house will be brought in for his arrival. Then, in the following couple of hours, choirs will sing, bands will play, speeches will be made, the big tree in front of Town Hall will be lit, and Santa will ride into town on a vintage 1920s fire truck blaring its horn, and set up shop in his house, ready to meet with the children already lined up and waiting to see him.
I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die,
For poor orn’ry people like you and like I,
I wonder as I wander … out under the sky.
I sometimes think that wonder is like an endangered species – we don’t have enough of it and are in danger of losing it altogether. You lose wonder when you try to explain everything. Wonder is wasted in seminars, and “how-to” books, and manuals for living, and steps to a more victorious Christian life.
Away in a manger no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head
The stars in the sky look down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay
What if God was one of us? What would that mean?
It would mean that God had two little feet and ten little toes. It would mean He played with those toes and realized they were His.
As the saying goes, There is a method to our madness. We skipped over Catches last week because we have been working on a subject neither of us have dealt with before. We hope it will be worth the wait as we are excited to bring you the results of our work in a new series of Catches and podcasts. Today’s Catch reminds us of the preeminence of the heart.
Here is something you can know about every human being regardless of faith, religion, or none, even if they say something to the contrary: They are searching for God.
I wanted something to talk on for Thanksgiving and ran into the following verses when I was looking for the one verse about giving thanks, “for this is the will of God for you.” I saw the other verses leading up to it and realized this was just what we all needed to hear right now. So I decided to make this my Thanksgiving gift to us all.
If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. Ezekiel 3:18
It’s a given, we are all under the penalty of death. And everyone knows it. The only thing everyone doesn’t necessarily know is why. Many people don’t know that death is a penalty. They just assume it is a part of reality. Everybody dies; that’s the way it goes. Maybe one of these days we’ll figure this out and we will become immortal but that seems like a long way off.
BlogTalkRadio welcomes backBrian ZahndChristian Nationalism, Christians and politics, how to further the kingdom of God on earth, dealing with hatred and fear, is America a Christian nation? If you wonder abut any of these things, you will definitely want to hear this interview. |
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| Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and his wife, Peri, founded the church in 1981. Brian is also the author of several books, including, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, Water to Wine, A Farewell To Mars, Beauty Will Save the World, Unconditional?: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness and Postcards from Babylon. |
John Fischer The Catch 