O Come Let Us Adore Him

He is the long-awaited Messiah, who would come to save his people, Israel. Many remembered the prophesies and recognized him.

The evil powers of the time saw him as a threat and tried to kill him early on, but his parents were warned in a dream and escaped.

Other powerful and wise men followed a sign in the sky and came to worship this child they believed to be a king.

The shepherds came to a stable, which was perhaps more like a cave in the hillside, to see this sight. What did they see? Why did they worship?

The angels said to the shepherds,"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

This baby is Immanuel, meaning God with us. He came to " give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

O come let us adore Him. He is Christ the Lord.

Tis the Season...to Repent

The season of advent is not a time for rejoicing. It is a time for looking inward, examining yourself, getting ready for the coming of the Lord. It is a time of reflection, of reading the scriptures, of prayer, of fasting. When will the Lord come again? Only God knows and He is not willing that any of us should perish, but that we should all come to Him.

Collision

As our discussions usually develop, we wandered through various topics in a most engaging manner. We began with witches and how society's views have changed towards these creatures that supposedly wear pointed hats and ride broom sticks. From the biblical view in which witchcraft is an abomination, we moved to the witch-hunting hysteria of times past, and finally to our postmodern view of witches typified most recently in Harry Potter. Then, of course, there are the real witches of Wicca. Another discussion.

Truth and lie are almost always mixed in the movies we see and the books we read. A common lie in the Harry Potter movie is that God is just...nowhere...absent. The witches and wizards are like people we know, not strange, really. This could be any boarding school story, minus the magic. Titillating but empty, in my view.

Magic is a well-used subject for books and movies in our culture. We seem to be attracted by power. What if we could fly? Or how would it feel to be able make something happen by the use of words/spells? This happens in video games all the time. By maneuvering buttons you can make things happen. Realistic graphics increase the feeling of real power. There are gamers that live their lives in their favorite role-playing scenario, preferring the feeling of power and adventure it gives them to connection with real people. They are living a lie. What happens when that lie collides with reality?

Rococo

Culture Wars

In the coming days, it will be very hard as a Christian to stand against the tide of the coming cultural takeover. It will be confusing, difficult to discern good from evil. Just as the voice of the witch in The Silver Chair lulled the children to sleep, telling them that there is no overworld, no sun, no Aslan, so it will be for the young believers of God's word and His Son. "There is truth in other religions," says the witch." Jesus was a good man and there are many other good prophets as well." she says." Yes, we begin to agree. God speaks to us in many ways.....zzzzzzzzzz" Puddleglum! Where are you?