On this the second Sunday of Christmas, I invite you to watch one of the best Christmas videos you may not have seen. The video was created by St. Paul's Church in Auckland, New Zealand to market their annual Carols by Glowstick event. According to Joshua Cody, who interviewed one of the creative folks behind the project, the church spent only $500 to produce the video since "everything else was supplied by the individuals, families and businesses of St. Paul’s. That goes Read More …
Christmas
Why the Incarnation Matters (Part 2 of 2)
Yesterday, I shared what others wrote in response to the question: “Why Does the Incarnation Matter?” Today, I offer my own answer (following the same guidelines of responding in 100 words or less): The Incarnation is the story that reminds us how God is with us (Emmanuel), a story which begins with a baby born in the house of bread (Bethlehem) who is the Bread of Life. The Incarnation is intentionally too rich and filled with possibility to be fully conveyed with human language. Modern Read More …
Why the Incarnation Matters (#0222)
In a culture that emphasizes consumerism and family togetherness as the marks of Christmas, we need to be reminded that Christmas is a celebration of the Incarnation. At Patheos, the mainline Protestant portal features the answers given by twelve pastors and scholars to the question: "Why Does the Incarnation Matter?" Each respondent was asked to write an answer in 100 words or less. Two of the responses were especially helpful in my quest to refine my own answer to the question: In Read More …
The End of the Christmas War (#0212)
James Martin is a Jesuit priest, the culture editor of America magazine, and author of numerous books, including The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life (2010). In his recent article, "The War on Christmas is Over . . . and Christmas Lost," Martin suggests that "in public discourse the holiday has been distanced from the holy day." He argues that Christians have been losing for a long time and that this is the year he is willing to declare that Read More …