Christmas History
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Thursday, December 21st, 2023
If I was a betting man I would put all I had on one fact: somewhere, sometime, somehow you have heard about missing the meaning of Christmas.
I think we all have our favorite Christmas movies. Mine are It’s a Wonderful Life and The Santa Clause. I know others have their favorites as well. Die Hard. Is that really a Christmas movie? I don’t think so even though it takes place around Christmas. 🙂 One of the ones I enjoy seeing from time to time (not necessarily on a regular basis but from time to time) is Polar Express. As you watch the movie, you see the progression from the “person” of Christmas being, of course, Santa Claus, to more of the idea that the spirit of Christmas is found in the heart. The Santa Clause stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin (SC) who puts on the Santa suit and transforms into Santa Claus. I have to admit that I like Tim Allen and this is one funny romp I have never grown tired of.
Back to my original thought. We often talk about the spirit of Christmas and how so many fail to see what Christmas is all about. We make statements like “It’s Christmas not Xmas” or “Keep Christ in Christmas.” Sadly, it is a real possibility that will happen though. Our culture is trying its best to avoid any reference to Christ. A city in Iowa had a display of Satan among the Christmas displays in their courthouse. So it is safe to say there will always be people who miss Christmas.
Even with the spectacular event of Jesus’ birth right in front of them, there were those who missed it. I hope you won’t and that is my point this Sunday. I hope to see you on Sunday at 10:00 or Christmas Eve at 5:00 (different service completely). I look forward to seeing you in person or online.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Jesus, Joy, Opinion, Sermon Series/Topic | Comments Off on Don’t Miss It!
Thursday, December 14th, 2023
 Aspiring actors and actresses are everywhere. I went to high school with Jeff Goldblum. My senior picture is on the same page in our yearbook as his. I had no clue Jeff would leave our high school and head to New York for the stage and ultimately to a TV show named TenSpeed and Brownshoe, and then on to Jurassic Park, Independence Day, multiple other movies, and finally back to TV with Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
For every successful actor there are hundreds, maybe thousands who never make it. At best, they are two-bit players. Truthfully, some people are looked at that way. Many overlooked. Many seen as hacks. It happens all the time, in every profession. Sunday’s sermon will be dealing with two groups of people. One, is seen as little people. The others are seen as big people. Well…at least as the world looks at them that way. But in God’s eyes, there are no little people and there are no big people.
Shepherds and Wise men. The have’s and the have not’s. The clean and the unclean. The “welcome-to-my-world” versus those who are “not welcome anywhere.” The stories are familiar but I will be praying we all might learn something new this week. I look forward to seeing you in person at 9:00 and 10:45 or via live stream.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, God, Opinion, Sermon Series/Topic, Story | Comments Off on The Role of a Lifetime
Thursday, December 1st, 2022
My short series on the Feasts of the OT will come to a close this week. A short recap of the previous weeks:
- God Redeems His People- Passover
- God Separates His People- Firstfruits and Pentecost
- God Reminds His People- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Sukkot (Booths/Tabernacles/Ingathering)
This week’s sermon is God Delivers His People. This one is a bit different in that it will also lead right into our Christmas celebration. The two feasts this week are Hanukkah (aka the Feast of Dedication) and lesser-known one called Purim.
Neither feast finds its roots in the OT Law where God requires the Jewish people to observe them as He has the others before mentioned. As we will see, Hanukkah found its roots during that Intertestamental period (between Malachi and Matthew) as a celebration of the Maccabean revolt against Syrians. Purim is a feast of celebration for the salvation of the Jews during the time of Esther. Both are feasts of celebration of God’s preservation and protection.
I chose these two and chose to do them last because I felt they would be a great lead-in to our celebration for Christmas. I begin next week with a 4 part series called Expect the Unexpected. Here is the lineup:
- The Unexpected Birth
- The Unexpected Child
- The Unexpected News
- The Unexpected Dawn (January 1 sermon)
- AND THEN COMES REVELATION!!
I hope to see you this Sunday for the final “feasts” sermon and then during the month of December. If you are unable to be there, we do live stream our services at 9 and 10:45. You can go to the church’s website (ovcf.org) to see where to watch.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic | 2 Responses »
Friday, December 10th, 2021
I’m guessing we have all been the recipients of unexpected news. Good and bad. If there was anyone who had to be surprised by unexpected news it would have to be the shepherds.
In his book, The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, David Mathis wrote the following:
“It may have been the greatest choral presentation in the history of the world. One nameless angel had the honor of singing the lead, with a veritable angelic multitude behind him. But no tickets were sold, and the show was not announced ahead of time. The audience was simply a flock of unresponsive sheep and a lowly band of unsuspecting shepherds. But it was too good to keep quiet about. Word got out, and ‘all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.’ The Gospel of Luke records the story for us to wonder at too.”
The shepherds are part and parcel of every Christmas celebration. But they are much more than children in a play dressed up in bathrobes. You know how that works. You find someone to play Mary and Joseph and look around for a baby Jesus-real or a doll. The rest of the children want to be in the play so you dress them up in bathrobes, tie a towel around their head and they become a great multitude.
Of course, the real shepherds’ involvement was more than that. My sermon this week is about the shepherds and the Unexpected News they received. Join me if you would like.
{NOTE: I apologize for failing to post last weekend. Jo and I went to Ohio from Thursday through Sunday. Pastor Ryan preached for me. I’m eager to be back with the people I love}.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic | 4 Responses »
Friday, November 26th, 2021
So it begins. The slow trudge toward the end of 2021. Actually, I have heard several say they will be glad 2021 will soon be over, and that 2022 has to be better! I don’t know about that but I am trying to prepare myself for the month of December and Christmas.
For a good part of our 48 years of marriage I have largely been a dunce. That comes as no surprise to some, but I’m not talking mentally. It comes to the use of my hands, i.e. remodeling experiences. I was never afforded the experience as a young boy growing up to watch and learn so the use of my hands with tools is minimal. That isn’t saying I can’t do some things but if I have put forth any effort it has turned out second rate at best. That is why I like to watch shows like Fixer Upper. Big time dreamer I am. 🙂
When it comes to surprises some of the best things in life are surprises. To know what one is getting for their birthday or Christmas is kind of a balloon deflator (yes I know that is not a word). The best surprises are those which take us totally by surprise and are no where near what we thought. Could there be any greater surprise than the birth of Jesus? Even though it was foretold, very few knew or were expecting it. That is my theme for the month of December: Expect the Unexpected. This Sunday I have entitled my sermon THE UNEXPECTED BIRTH. The Scripture is from Luke 1:26-35 and 46-55 and I’ll be looking at what came before His birth and what came after.
Please join us as we begin our celebration of Christmas. You can do that in person or online. If you can do neither, then please pray for us.Â
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Jesus, Sermon Series/Topic | Comments Off on #UnexpectedBirth
Friday, December 18th, 2020
It all comes down to red carpet night. Stars, wannabe-stars, and people who hang on all make their way onto the red carpet and inside for the grand production. So many flashbulbs go off you gotta wonder why they don’t have seizures or get flash burns. The “who’s who” of fandom is there. Some come solo. Some come with their significant other. All dressed to the “nines” in clothing that cost more than I make in a couple of months. Ridiculous fawning over people and celebrities, enough to make you want to gag, goes on all night. But to be sure…this is the night all the hard work is rewarded.
We have seen that as we have made out way through the Christmas story. The supporting cast (the ladies in Jesus’ genealogy and Zechariah and Elizabeth). The Unknowns (shepherds and wise men who appear and never to be heard from again). The co-stars (Joseph and Mary). And now the culmination. The STAR of the whole production has made his appearance. Everything has led up to this point. All the OT prophecies and the prophets who wrote them. Isaiah. Micah.Â
Then we get to John 1. I will be spending the bulk of my time. Two statements will stand out Sunday.
Christmas was not a beginning but a becoming. Christmas wasn’t His start, but His commission. He was not created; He came. The Christmas We Didn’t Expect by David Mathis (p.24)
“We are not being told merely that Jesus Christ has eternal life or even that He gives it. This verse in I John 1:2 is saying He is eternal life, salvation itself.”
I’m looking forward to Sunday and preaching about the STAR. Join me if you would like.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Doctrine, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic | 8 Responses »
Sunday, December 13th, 2020
Saturday night as Jo and I were sitting in the living room she asked me if I had heard the story of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I told her I had but couldn’t tell her exactly what they meant. She then read it to me. I had her send it to me via text so I could retype it here for you.
The song was written by Catholics in England as a song to teach their children about the Christian faith. “True love” refers to God. “Me” refers to every Christian. The other symbols mean the following:
- 1 Partridge in a pear tree= Jesus Christ
- 2 Turtle Doves= the Old and New Testaments
- 3 French Hens= Faith, Hope and Love or the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
- 4 Calling Birds= the Four Gospels
- 5 Golden Rings= first 5 books of the OT
- 6 Geese-A-Laying= the 6 days of creation
- 7 Swans-A-Swimming= the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit (I cor. 12:8-10)
- 8 Maids-A-Milking= the 8 Beatitudes
- 9 Ladies Dancing= the 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
- 10 Lords-A-Leaping= the 10 Commandments
- 11 Pipers Pipers= Eleven Apostles, not Judas
- 12 Drummers Drumming= The Twelve points of Doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed
So there you have it. Brings a whole new meaning to a seemingly fun and mundane and nonsensical song. Now you can teach it to others!!
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Church, Doctrine, Little Bit of Fun | 8 Responses »
Friday, December 11th, 2020
Have you ever heard the expression, “Close but no cigar?” Or some of you are old enough to remember Maxwell Smart from the TV show Get Smart. One of his favorite expressions was “I only missed it by that much” while holding his fingers up to indicate how close. Or I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Almost doesn’t count except in horseshoes and hand grenades.”
There are actors and actresses who ply their trade for years and never hit it big. They always seem to wind up second fiddle. Many of them go year after year playing second or bit parts while working another job to keep food in their stomach. Sometimes they hit it big (think Harrison Ford) and some never get the big time. Some will always play the “one-who-never-made-it.” Of course there are always those who think they are worth far more than they are and when a sequel comes up they say, “Bill me top dog or I’ll decline.” A lot of actors overestimated their value and lost out on their future. Hmmm that happened to one of my favorite trilogies.
Anyway, the Christmas story is coming down to the nitty-gritty. We talked about the supporting cast (Jesus’ genealogy) and Zechariah and Elizabeth. Last week I talked about the Unknowns (shepherds and wise men) who showed up, did their part and then were never to be heard from again. This week is about the Co-Stars, whom I’m pretty sure you will come to realize are Joseph and Mary. I’m calling Joseph the Unsung Hero and Mary is the Second Violin (not to Joseph but to her Son).
There are some tremendous lessons both co-stars teach us and I believe if we can learn them it would change our world (our influence) and ultimately the world. Two actors, both co-stars, but both vital to the outcome of the play. Join me if you would like. At least, please pray for us. That just might be the best of all!
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Doctrine, Jesus, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Truth | 2 Responses »
Friday, December 4th, 2020
The title gives it away. There should be no question who my sermon will be about in my A Grand Production series. 🙂
Life is full of surprises as we all know. Christmas morning is full of surprises. When I was growing, when I still believed in SC, Christmas morning in the Grandi household was one big huge surprise. We went to bed with nothing except lights in the windows. No tree. No gifts. No train. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. But when we woke up life was full of wonder and surprises. Our living room had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland. A well-lit tree. Gifts under the tree. A running train (my dad’s pride and joy). Even up to the day she died mom had pictures which showed our surprise as we hit the top of the steps and then came down to see what wasn’t there when we went to bed. I now know-or should I say I no longer wonder-how mom and dad stayed up all day. Oh yeah…coffee. Lots of it. I know they had to have stayed up late at night, maybe most of the night putting everything together to make a magical surprise.
I don’t imagine there could be anyone more surprised than the shepherds when the angel and the host of angels visited them on the hillside with an announcement which shook their world. And to see how the wise men followed the star which took them from their home in the east to Bethlehem by way of Herod’s court is the stuff of legends. Come to think of it both of them are the stuff of legends even though we know nothing more about them than what we are told in Luke and Matthew.
I am afraid we have sometimes lost our wonder. Like the young man in Polar Express, we go through a crisis of belief and settle too easily for the mundane. Excitement awaits us if we follow Jesus.
I’d appreciate your prayers if you are able and would love to have you join us via live stream.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Faith, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Worship | 6 Responses »
Friday, November 27th, 2020
One of the hardest times for me to preach is Christmas. I know that sounds weird. But it is true. It isn’t that I don’t like Christmas. I love it! What makes it so hard to preach at Christmas is most people know the story so well they could probably do a better job than me. 🙂 So the hard job for me is to find a new way to tell an old story. By new way I obviously don’t mean denying it or the truth of it or the virgin birth or the Incarnation. The questions are:
How do I make it come alive?
How do I make it appealing and not boring?
How do I tell this timeless story and bring old truths to life?
I’m not sure how I succeed in those but I do try. This year I am calling my series A Grand Production. I plan to look at it through the idea of a play with the different actors and actresses in their roles. My sermon this Sunday is on the Supporting Cast. I’m breaking it down into the Messy People and the “Go-Before” people. Do you know who they are? Hint: the first group is found in Matthew 1 and the others are found in Luke 1. You should be able to figure them out.
If you are unable to come to OVCF don’t forget we live stream at 9:00 and 10:45. I’d love to have you join us. If you can’t would you at least pray for me/us? Thanks.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas History, Doctrine, Grace, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Truth | 6 Responses »
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