Posts tagged 'christmas'

  • Christmas Hope

    I was contemplating Christmas and everything that it means and all that could be said about it. Over the years, Christians have considered the wonders of the event of Jesus’ birth and how its impact has influenced the world. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Christmas Promises

    Each Christmas, as we commemorate Jesus’ birth, we are looking back to the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in which God vowed to send a savior into the world. As we mark this glorious event, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • You Just Never Know

    One Christmas, Peter and I were traveling and needed to be in a hotel for a couple of days. Arriving early, we were told that our room wasn’t ready yet. Disappointed and very tired, we thought we would have to wait a couple of hours. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Nine Devotionals for Christmas

    Christmas is such a momentous celebration for us Christians, as we commemorate the birth of our Lord, the events surrounding His first coming, and the meaning of His birth. Last year I came across a traditional Christmas service ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Christmas Reflections

    It’s Christmas Eve. I have some time to relax in quiet solitude, and I’ve decided to spend it in front of our small manger scene. I have lit some candles and there’s one very small lamp that is casting some light on the figures. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Christmas Prequel

    In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we read the story surrounding the birth of Jesus. We’re told of the angel visiting Mary; of her miraculous pregnancy; of the difficulty that Joseph, her betrothed, had when he found out she was pregnant; ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Nine Devotionals for Christmas

    Christmas is such an important celebration for Christians. It’s a time of great joy as we remember the birth of our Lord and the events surrounding His first coming. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Immanuel

    Christmas represents one of the most significant events in human history—when God physically came into our world in the form of His Son, Jesus. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Radiant Imprints

    “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power." ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus’ Birth (Part 5)

    The birth narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us the story of Jesus’ birth. These accounts also portray deep truths about what God was doing in His plan of salvation. To get the bigger picture concerning the event of God’s Son ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus’ Birth (Part 4)

    Some months after Mary had returned from her visit with Elizabeth and had taken the second step in the marriage process—moving into Joseph’s home—Mary and Joseph embarked on a trip to Bethlehem. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • In It for the Long Term

    “The salvation of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”—Alan Redpath1

    It’s wonderful at Christmas to think about the manger, the angels, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus’ Birth (Part 3)

    Luke informs the readers of some of the events which transpired during Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and then tells us that Mary returned to her home. Removing Mary from the scene, he moves into describing the ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Through a Glass Darkly

    “There are some of us … who think [to] ourselves, ‘If I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby. I would have washed His linens. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus’ Birth (Part 2)

    In recounting the story of Jesus’ birth, the book of Luke begins by first telling the story of the birth of John the Baptist, who is both a relative of Jesus and the forerunner of the Messiah. Luke brings in numerous ties to the ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Unvarnished Christmas Story

    With the Christmas season beginning, we will likely be presented with numerous opportunities to talk to people about how the babe in the manger is a gift that can have great significance for them, right now, today. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus’ Birth (Part 1)

    While the story of Jesus’ life begins with the narrative of His birth as told in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, in a way it began long before, as the Old Testament foretold His coming numerous times, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Up Close and Personal

    “A rule I have had for years is to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.”—Dwight L. Moody ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Making a Christmas Masterpiece

    When the life of a follower of Jesus is lived as Jesus intended it to be, it becomes a thing of beauty. Being a Christian and having a relationship with God should be something that permeates our daily experiences, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Timeless Carols

    Something I’ve always loved about Christmas is listening to and singing the beautiful Christmas carols that have been written over the centuries. In fact, I like them so much I often listen to them at different times throughout the year. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Those Dirty Shepherds

    One of my favorite pictures as a child was of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as He carried a little lamb in one arm and His staff in the other.

    Perhaps our image of shepherds and their sheep has been formed from some ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Christmas Shalom

    One of the portions of the story of the Nativity which I find most beautiful, exciting, and meaningful is when the angel appeared to the shepherds and announced Jesus’ birth, followed by a multitude of ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Christmas Echoes

    For many of us, an important feature of Christmas is remembering the story of Jesus’ birth, whether through reenactments and Christmas plays of the first Christmas, readings of the Christmas story from the Bible, ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Christmas Pep Rally!

    I was thinking about Christmas and what God had in mind when He allowed this one event to become so prominent, even though the example Jesus set was to make our faith something that permeates every day of our lives. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Humble and the Foreign

    One especially beautiful part of the presentation of Jesus’ birth is in Luke’s Gospel, where he tells of the shepherds hearing the announcement of Jesus’ birth. There is evidence within Jewish writings that ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Unlikely Hero

    We often find ourselves in situations where we don’t feel like we’re on some great spiritual mission. We want to do something meaningful for the Lord, but the circumstances just don’t seem to facilitate that in the ways we might have hoped ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Manger and the Inn

    There are some aspects of the story of Jesus’ birth that have entered traditional thinking but that don’t sync up with what is stated in the Gospel accounts. These include Mary and Joseph being turned away from ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Mary and Joseph

    In the previous podcast we looked at the four Old Testament women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy in the book of Matthew who had some anomalies in their relationships. Mary, Jesus’ mother, the fifth woman in the Lord’s ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Five Women of Christmas

    The Christmas season is here, and Maria and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. We pray that your Christmas will be very special and that you will be able to make other people’s Christmas very special as well. ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Divine Demonstrations

    In the Bible Jesus said to His Father, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”[1] And to His disciples He said: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."[2] And John wrote, “Those who say they live in God should live their ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Just One Life

    This is a different article than those that I usually place on the DC site. In most cases, the materials that are posted here are directed toward our members. But in the spirit of the Christmas season and the fact that it is a wonderful opportunity ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Christmas Quotes

    It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you ... yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.—Mother Teresa

    Be an angel to someone else whenever you can, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Follow God at Christmas

    Hi, everyone,

    Peter and I want to wish you a very happy Christmas. As you’re so well aware, Christmas can be one of the most fruitful times of the year for ministering to others, because people ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Six Things I Love About Christmas

    Most people have a few things that they love about Christmas, that make the Christmas season special to them. Here are a few of my top picks! 1. I love the spirit of giving that permeates Christmas. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Heart of It All: The Incarnation (Part …

    The quest to theologically define the person of Jesus and His human and divine natures mainly occurred in two time periods: firstly, in the fourth and fifth centuries, and then secondly in the nineteenth and twentieth. ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Merry Christmas 2010!

    Happy, happy Christmas, dear Family! This is the special day, the special Baby, the special Man, the special event, the special love that binds us together with each other—and indeed with all Christians worldwide ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Red Truck

    When most of us who know Jesus think about Christmas, we think of God making the greatest sacrifice, giving the greatest gift, sharing the greatest love, in sending His Son, Jesus. God did all that in delivering His great love gift ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Are You Santa Claus?

    It’s Christmastime—such a wonderful time of the year! I love it when it comes around every year, because as Christmas approaches, people tend to appreciate others more. They’re more aware of the importance ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam