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Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden(Genesis 3:8). One year when I was five or six years old, I accidentally discovered a Christmas present. I'm not sure why I was there in the first place, but I was playing in my mom's closet when I en...
Keep ReadingBut theLordGod called to the man, "Where are you?"He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraidbecause I was naked;so I hid"(Genesis 3:810). Hiding from God. It sounds like a completely ridiculous strategy on its face. And yet we still try to get away with it. Like toddlers who cover their eyes, pretending no one can see them. Or teens wearing turtlenecks (in...
Keep Reading"I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers;He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Gen. 1:15). It's not quite dawn. I'm gazing at my Christmas tree and thinking of family trees since we recently studied Jesus' genealogy. I remember the words of the prophet Isaiah - "a shoot will come from the stump of Jesse" - referenc...
Keep ReadingSo the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:14-15). Genesis 3:815...
Keep ReadingThen the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:8) Welcome to this new week in Advent, and to the next Scripture passage (Genesis 3:8-15) in our Emmanuel: Indescribable Gift series....
Keep ReadingWhen [the Magi] had gone, an angelof the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream."Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him" (Matthew 2:13). Once again, I'm reminded of the words of Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat itself, but it often RHYMES Knowing the end from...
Keep Reading(Matthew 19-23 NIV) When you were younger, did you ever play that game that is sort of a mash-up of Hide and Seek and tag? Some may even know it by the name "Manhunt." If not, let me teach you how this game works! Before everyone goes to hide, the players determine what is "safe," typically a room or piece of furniture or a certain tree. Then the person who is "it" starts...
Keep Reading"Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him" (Matthew 2:13). Prepare yourself. The onslaught of holiday movies is coming! And get ready for all those holiday tropes! The dogs break into the house and eat the holiday turkey! Christmas is ruined! A snowstorm tr...
Keep ReadingWhen Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi (Matthew 2:1). Every time I read this verse my first thought is, "What about the mothers?" Since having my own children, the oldest and ...
Keep ReadingPlease read Matt. 2:13-23. In this second week of our sermon series, Indescribable Gift, the Magi have just presented Jesus with their gifts. An angelic messenger tells them not to report back to Herod, so they go home via another route. Herod is "furious" when he discovers the Magi have "outwitted him" about the birthplace of the new "King of the Jews" (2:16). Another an...
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