Category: Christian Living

Christian Living

The “Magic” of Christmas (3) ~ Wonder

Chris

Every magic trick worth its time leaves us staring. “Wait. What? What just happened?”

Instant replays on television shows like America’s Got Talent help us look at it a second or third time, and sometimes from different angles. But we can’t figure it out. We are amazed and left wondering.

After hearing the shepherds in the streets or finding them at their front door, the residents of Bethlehem must have wondered afterwards, “What just happened? Those guys are all stirred up and it sounds crazy. What does all of this mean?”

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Christian Living

The “Magic” of Christmas (2) ~ Surprise

Chris

To help us understand the magic of Christmas we can take a look at what magic invokes in us. Even when we think we understand what is happening in front of us, there are specific emotions and feelings inside of us that help make the moment memorable.

A magic trick often begins with something simple and mundane. Take an ordinary object and do something with or to it. Hide it. Put it in a box. It may be out of sight but is isn’t out of mind. With every act a tension builds.

Just like a child who sees a wrapped Christmas gift under the tree with their name on it. It is hidden, but a similar tension builds as the child imagines what could be inside.

The greater the tension the greater the reaction when the trick turns or the gift opens. And then … Surprise!

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Christian Living, Faith

The “Magic” of Christmas (1) ~ 3 Reactions

Chris

Our Town recently hung new banners for the Christmas season. We use banners in our downtown area throughout the various seasons and special days of the year.

This year’s Christmas banners invited passersby to “Believe in the magic of Christmas.” Reactions to such a phrase could swing between the dismissive to the outright hostile.

It isn’t too far a stretch, though, to apply the idea of magic to a Christian view of the holiday. It might even open some doors of conversation to share the Hope we have as we near the end of a frightful year.

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Christian Living, Inspirational

Locked Inside between Good Friday and Easter

Chris

The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is not mentioned in the Bible. We have to speculate about what the Disciples and the world were doing between the day of judgments and punishments, and the day of wonder and power. We might be shocked at how similar our current situation is.

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Christian Living, Church Life, Ministry

How Fresh is the “New” You Just Discovered?

Chris

Over the past few weeks I have seen more on social media than I did most of the last 6 months. I seem to be susceptible to the “rabbit hole” concept of scrolling further down the updates than usual.

Today I came across a post from a pastor sharing his new favorite worship song. I’m familiar with the song and had a feeling it wasn’t quite as new as the post advertised. So I went back to check it’s release date. Turns out, I wasn’t wrong. The song was originally released in January 2014. That’s five years ago.

I will concede that five years is not a long time in the worship music industry. It seems too many songs come from so many corners of the spectrum from well-known to new on the block to one-hit wonders.

It did make me wonder, though. When we find something new, how fresh is it? And if it isn’t that fresh, though it is new to us, what do we miss when we latch onto it?

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