Category Archives: Christmas

Ray Vander Laan Regarding Christmas

Longtime readers will know that I’m a fan of the teaching ministry of Ray Vander Laan. A reader has pointed out to me this audio recording of Ray speaking on Christmas. http://www.followtherabbi.com/uploads/assets/audio/originalsettingofthechr_378.mp3 Enjoy. PS — Additional audio mp3s from Ray … Continue reading

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How to Explain Christmas to a Teenager

(I’m guessing I totally missed at least half the jokes. I’ve got to get one of my kids to explain some of this to me.)

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The Story of St. Nick — Thanks to Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll, author of several books and pastor of the Mars Hills church in Seattle, posted this fascinating account of the history of many of our Christmas traditions. It goes well with earlier posts from Patrick Mead. Enjoy, and have … Continue reading

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Another Great Christmas Story from Patrick Mead (with a note on Calvinism for later)

Well, he’s written another excellent Christmas post: The Man Who Invented Christmas. Mandatory reading. And once you’ve read it — and no sooner — reflect on the following. But wait until after Christmas. The rest of this post isn’t really … Continue reading

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Is it okay to celebrate New Year’s Day?

[Re-posted from last year. The football references have not been updated.] On a discussion board, I’ve been engaged in an oh-so-long discussion re the propriety of a Christian celebrating Christmas. And then someone asked what I planned to do for … Continue reading

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An Overheard Christmas Conversation (with note to Village Voice readers added)

I was standing in a checkout line, doing my bit to stimulate the economy, you know, when I heard two women talking. “Did you hear? Costco has told its stores — all 520 of them — not to use the … Continue reading

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The Birth of Jesus on Christmas Day

My congregation used to avoid Christmas trappings. After all, it’s obvious Jesus wasn’t born in December. And the celebration has roots in a pagan feast dedicated to the Roman god Saturn, Saturnalia. But we came to realize that we needed … Continue reading

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