John Fischer The Catch

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
 
God had promised a Redeemer
Through the prophet’s willing tongue
Time had reached its culmination
To reveal His only Son
Born of a virgin child of the earth
With her seed conceived of God
Fully human but in His veins flowed
Precious Godly blood
 
And that precious blood was soon
To be poured out in cruel death
For the healing of the nations
And all those who feel His breath
Lift up your voice and sing to the heavens
With the angels sing your song
Jesus has come to wipe out the darkness
Take us to His home

What a magnificent announcement that some would think was wasted on peasant shepherds and no one else! A multitude of the heavenly host just for a handful of sheepherders by trade. Did you ever stop to consider that no one would have been there to witness the birth but a few barnyard animals, had the angels not broken the silence of that quiet Palestinian night with their singing? God wanted someone there, and what company He chose! Continue reading →

Every Christmas story I know of has the same plot line — so much so that it can get very old — Is Christmas going to come? It can take many forms, but Christmas hanging in the balance is always the theme. Will Santa make it? Will the Polar Express get back in time? Will Kevin’s family find him by Christmas morning? Is Santa going to quit this year? Will reindeer fly? Will the presents get out in time? Will the elves get their labor dispute resolved in time to get all the toys made? Did Ebenezer Scrooge miss it? Have the spirits done it all in one night? Come up with as many ways as you can think of to stop Christmas, and there is probably a story about that. Come up with a new one and maybe you can get a contract.

It’s all about anticipation. Anticipation is the fuel of Christmas. Even in church, we light the Advent candles. We anticipate Christ’s coming. But here’s the point. In all this anticipation, expectation, and even anxiety — much of it artificial — this is the good news — the truly good news of the Gospel of Welcome: Jesus came! Continue reading →