Christmas Archives - Page 3 of 7

If you are looking for a way to share the love of Jesus with people around the world who are less fortunate than ourselves, I highly recommend participating in Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is run by Samaritan’s Purse, and provides a way for you to give gifts to children all over the world. Following the directions on their site, you pack a shoe box with gifts, take it to a drop-off center, and then let Samaritan’s Purse do the rest.

Here is a short video about a boy whose life was changed by a shoe box:

We participate in Operation Christmas Child every year, and it is one of the highlights of our Christmas season. Below are some of the things my wife and daughters wrote about packing shoe boxes for children around the world:

The Importance of Giving Gifts to Others

These simple gifts that come is shoe boxes have the potential to open a child’s heart to the love of Jesus Christ. We see so many times in the gospel how Jesus offers a tangible gift of healing before he offers His gift of love, life, forgiveness. I believe these shoe boxes do the same thing.

Children all over the world are hurting and broken through no fault of their own. Many have lost all they had in a hurricane, earthquake, or tsunami. Others have gone through a war that ransacked their village and took the lives of their family, often leaving them orphans. Still other children have endured torture at the hands of slave owners, or have witnessed torture at the hands of enemies.

Children around the world are asking, “Is there anyone that loves me?” , “Am I worthwhile to anyone?”, “Where is a God that loves me?”, “What did I do wrong?”, ” Why is this happening to me?”, and “Does anyone care?” These are the cries of so many children’s hearts, and by sending a shoe box to them, we can help provide some answers to these questions.

How can a simple shoe box answer any of these hard questions from children?

First, these shoe boxes bring HOPE! When we first started making these shoe boxes several years ago, my girls would ask why we couldn’t send them more, like a trunk load of stuff to each kid. “This toothbrush won’t last forever, mommy,” they would say. “And what happens if they loose this necklace, or if this bear gets too dirty? Mommy, this is not enough. If this is all they get for Christmas, we need to send them more. Much more!”

With tears in my eyes I answered that although I so badly wanted to adopt all the children of the world and give them all warm homes, food for their tummy, and loving arms to wrap around them, I cannot. As much as I would love to be able to send billions of dollars to heal their war torn lands and fix their water problems, I can’t.

But there is one thing I could do, I told my girls, I could send them HOPE, and hope is a powerful gift. Hope in ones heart allows you to persevere when you otherwise would not, it allows you to find joy in the most troubling of times, and HOPE in a loving God allows you to believe that someone loves you, cares for you, wants the best for you, and will be there for you forever. This is hope that moves mountains.

No, a shoe box won’t feed the hungry child who receives it. The shoe box won’t educate them, it won’t get them parents. Although there are actually many stories where children do find parents through these shoe boxes. Check out the video below.

But one thing a shoe box does bring is hope, and as my girls now know, hope–especially in a living and loving God–is the most powerful thing we can offer someone.

So this year as you start the process of getting gifts for your family, please also begin a tradition of giving shoe boxes to children around the world that are longing to feel that powerful, tangible touch from the God that loves them. Please give the gift of a shoe box that will lead to the gift of everlasting life.

How Our Family Packs Shoe Boxes

Our family has packed shoe boxes for 15 years, and every year our girls say it is their favorite part of Christmas. Really! They plan and prepare for packing shoe boxes all year long. They save their money to buy small gifts. They look for the biggest shoe boxes in the stores. They look for toys and gifts on sale or on clearance that would fit well into their shoe boxes.

There are many ways to pack a shoe box, but the best way is straight from your heart. At the time of this post, there is only ONE MONTH until the collection time for shoe boxes. The National Collection Week is November 18-25, so you might want to get started today by clicking on the links below that will take you to the Operation Christmas Child site for all the information you will need to get started. If you have any questions about shoe boxes, what to put in them, or how the process works, I would be happy to answer them in the comments section below.

I will leave you with the words of my daughters. When asked to write why they believe shoe boxes are important this is what they wrote.

Kahlea (age 7)

I think it is good to give kids shoe boxes because it is very important to them. It means a lot to them. It makes them happy and gives them the hope that Jesus and others love them.

Selah (age 9)

I think it is important to pack shoe boxes because little things make kids happy and gives them hope. It is also fun to pack shoe boxes!

Taylor (age 11)

I think it is important to send shoe boxes because it gives the kids joy when they have so much sadness. the shoe boxes also teach them that Jesus loves them and that they are important. And it gives them hope, which is a powerful thing when everything is going wrong around you.

From the mouth of babes comes the simple truth that a small gesture of love reaps the large harvest of hope in a loving God.

Please take some time to visit the links below on how to pack a shoe box, and to learn about how you can help children around the world find hope in a God that loves them. The first link has a video about how to pack a shoe box.

Shoe Box Links

A Tale of Two Christmas Eve Services

By Jeremy Myers

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On Christmas Eve last year, my family and I participated in two Christmas Eve services.

The first lasted about five hours. The second was only one hour.

The first required getting up at 5:30 AM. The second required us to have a rushed dinner so we could leave the house at 5:30 PM.

The first was noisy, crowded, and eventually became a little stinky, smelly, and dirty. The second had subdued lighting, padded seats, and professional-quality Christmas music.

At both we were surrounded by complete strangers (we are new to town), but in the first, many people greeted us with warm smiles and numerous greetings of “Merry Christmas!” At the second, nobody greeted us at all, except for a guy who shook our hand as we entered the building by saying, “Welcome!”

The Second Christmas Eve Service

You might recognize some of the tell-tale signs of the second Christmas Eve service. Yes, it was a traditional Christmas Eve Service at a local church. They had the tree, the lights, the Christmas Carols, and about 100 people dressed up in their holiday best. Scripture passages were read. Songs were sung. It was a beautiful performance.

…And it was a performance.

At the beginning, the band entered the stage from the wings, and the lead guitar player said this, “We’re glad you are hear, and we hope you enjoy this Christmas Special we have prepared for you. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. Near the end of the hour, there will be a song which you will be invited to sing along with. After that, you can go home, enjoy your Christmas presents and stocking stuffers.”

Then they launched into the music, and they played wonderfully well for about an hour. Several of the song I had never heard before, but were done quite well. Then, as promised, we were invited to stand and sing the closing song, Joy to the World. The pastor then got up, and thanked us for coming, and invited any of us who were visiting to join them on Sunday morning for their church service. With that, we were dismissed.

On the way home, our girls voiced two complaints. First, the church didn’t have any candles for us to hold, and second, they didn’t even sing Silent Night. I was actually disappointed with both of those things as well. Churches, please bring back the candles that we get to hold, and sing more of the traditional Christmas songs!

But all in all, it was what many Christians around the country experience for a Christmas Eve Service.

The First Christmas Eve Service

But what about that first Christmas Eve Service we went to at 5:30 AM?

Well, it was something our neighbor told us about. We gathered with a bunch of other people from our town in the local gymnasium of the Junior High School to put together boxes of food and gift bags for over 250 needy families in our town.

I estimate that about 500 people showed up to help. I have rarely seen so many people with so much Christmas joy. There were smiles on everyone’s faces, with laughter and shouts of “Merry Christmas!” all around. One thing that surprised me most was the number of young people there. I estimate that well over half the people who were there were under twenty years old. These were high school and junior high kids who showed up at 5:30 AM on one of their days off from school to help prepare gift boxes for the needy in the community!

Wendy and the girls and I got to put together about 10-15 boxes of food and gifts, and then we went and delivered them to five different families. They were all quite needy, and when we brought the gifts to their doors, everyone said, “Merry Christmas!” and “Thank you so much!” At one house, a nine-year old girl came out and said to our oldest daughter, “I don’t know you, but I am going to hug you anyway.” And Taylor hugged her right back.

A couple of the houses we entered reeked from stale smoke, rotting food, and sick cats. The stench in one reminded me of the smell that might have accompanied the place of Jesus’ birth.

But at every place, we were greeted with Christmas cheer, and we felt the Spirit of Christmas well up in our hearts as well.

Which Christmas Eve Looked More Like Jesus?

As I sat through the second Christmas Eve Service at the local church, I could not help but notice the stark contrast between the two Christmas Eve “Services” we had participated in that day.

Only one of them actually had any service. The other was a performance.

One of them was full of Christmas cheer, joy, love, and generosity. The other was… well… I saw some smiles and handshakes, but overall, the attitude was fairly hushed and “holy.”

One of them helped the poor, hungry, and needy in our community in a tangible way. The other helped some church musicians put on a mini concert. I am sure it lifted some spirits, but everyone sure rushed out of there pretty quickly afterwards…

Which Christmas Eve service looks more like Jesus? Which one looks more like what the church is supposed to be and do as we follow Jesus? Which one better represents the Kingdom of God in this world?

As we drove home after the second service, I asked the girls that if they could only do one or the other next year, which one would it be?

The decision was unanimous: they wanted to help the people in the community.

Our Third Christmas Eve Service

I always have to work Christmas Day, and so our family has “Christmas” on December 26th, which makes December 25th our “Christmas Eve.” So on that night, we had our third Christmas Eve Service in our living room with just the five of us.

Among other things, we talked about the birth of Jesus and prayed about other ways we can share His love with people in our community this year.

We also lit candles and sang Silent Night.

What are your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions? Do any of them help you share the love of Jesus to those around you?

Christmas Flashmob

By Jeremy Myers

1 Comment

I hope you are having a wonderful, joy-filled Christmas season.

In an attempt to add to your joy, I wanted to share a video which someone shared with me.

Earlier this year, I asked “What if Church was like a Flashmob?” Here is another video along the same theme, which shows the joy that can be brought into the lives of others with a little creativity and courage.

I am not saying churches and Christians should go sing in malls. Instead, Christians should be sources of spontaneous joy and delight in the lives of people we come into contact with.

Interestingly, I think that flashmobs are a great example of redemption. They were originally “invented” by some guy named Bill in 2006 to get people involved in “random acts of silliness.” But some saw that flashmobs would also be a great way to commit crimes. If hundreds of people in one area all of a sudden looted from all the stores on one street, there wouldn’t be enough police around to stop them. But some groups, such as the one in the video above, are trying to get flash mobs back to their original purpose and intent – of bringing unexpected joy, surprise, and laughter into the lives of others.

So what can you do this Christmas season–or in the year ahead–to show unexpected love to someone else?

Was Jesus Born in a Barn?

By Jeremy Myers

8 Comments

As a child I often remember running outside to play, leaving the door wide open behind me, only to have my mother call after me, “Come back and shut the door! You weren’t born in a barn!”

I have often wondered if Mary ever called after Jesus in such a way. If so, maybe Jesus could have answered, “Yes, I was!”

But was He really? Was Jesus born in a barn? Or a stable? Or a cave?

No, probably not. We get this idea from Christmas carols, artwork, and other stories, but the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus do not indicate that He was born in a stable, a barn, or a cave. Instead, Jesus was most likely born in a house.

Jesus was Born in a House

In my book, Christmas Redemption, I briefly look at the wording in Luke 2:7 which says that when Jesus was born, Mary laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. I suggest in that the word “inn” is most likely a mistranslation, and the word really should be “tent” or “tabernacle.” The word refers to a “temporary shelter” which can be erected and taken down quickly, not to “temporary lodging” at a place like an inn.

Most likely, Bethlehem did not even have an “inn.” The town had less than 1000 people at the time, and it was culturally unacceptable to stay at inns. When most people traveled they depended upon the Middle-Eastern value of hospitality for their food and lodging needs.

But it doesn’t make any sense for Mary to lay Jesus in a manger because there was no room in the tent, does it? What could that possibly refer to?

Here is another place where knowing the historical-cultural Jewish background of the Scriptures really helps understand what is going on. I suggest in Christmas Redemption that the “tent” refers to the temporary structures erected by Jewish people during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jewish men were supposed to travel to Jerusalem for this feast, and since Bethlehem was only a few miles away from Jerusalem, many people stayed in Bethlehem during this festival. But the little make-shift structure in which they were to sleep and eat their meals was so cramped, Mary could not gift birth inside. So instead, she had to find somewhere else.

But where?

Jesus in the lower part of the house — This picture actually shows Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the lower part of a structure.

Well, she probably went into the house, right next door to the makeshift tabernacle, and gave birth there. After all, it was now empty since everyone was outside in the sukkoth, the booth or tabernacle.

But what is a manger (an animal feeding trough) doing inside a house? Well, archaeologists say that many homes at this time had two levels. The upper level was for the family, and the lower level was for the animals. This helped keep the animals safe at night from wandering off, getting eaten by predators, or from getting stolen, and also helped keep the family in the upper room above (If memory serves me right, Kenneth Bailey writes about this in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels).

Whether Mary gave birth in the upper part of the house or the lower, we don’t know, but apparently she used the manger from the lower part of the house as a place to lay Jesus after He was born. (My wife, Wendy, likes to emphasize that Mary probably held Jesus in her arms most of the time. What mother wouldn’t?)

So if Mary gave birth in the lower part of the house, which effectively was a barn, then I guess we could say that Jesus was born in a barn after all.

But What about the Census?

One objection to this whole idea is that Luke 2:1-7 says that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census. Except for the possible reference in Luke 2:7, nothing is mentioned about the Feast of Tabernacles. The solution seems to lie in Luke 2:6. It says that “while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”

Again, while many Christmas carols and stories seem to indicate that Joseph and Mary entered Bethlehem late at night while she is in the middle of birth pains, and he frantically knocks on doors seeking a place to stay, the text says nothing like this. It makes for a great story, but is not exactly drawn from the text.

Instead, it seems likely that the census of Caesar Augustus caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to be registered. Once there, and with the Feast of Tabernacles approaching quickly, they probably decided to remain in Bethlehem for a few more days (or maybe weeks) until the days were completed for her to give birth.

With her pregnant, it made no sense to travel to Bethlehem for the census, then travel back to Nazareth, only to turn around and travel to Jerusalem for the Feast. So they stayed! It is not as if Joseph had a job to get back to. Following Jewish law, it is certain that he was taking a year off from work so he could take care of his new wife (cf. Deut 24:5).

So the picture that emerges from Luke 2:7 is a bit different than tradition tells. Jesus was born in humble conditions, but it was probably inside a house, and if it was in the lower part of the house, then there may have been a few goats around and maybe a donkey or a cow. The reason they were there was because there was no room for them outside in the tent.

One other objection to this idea is that the Feast of Tabernacles is typically in late September. Wasn’t Jesus born on December 25th? Ah, well, maybe we have given Jesus the wrong birthday! But for more on that, you will have to read Christmas Redemption. Among other things, It shows when Jesus was likely born and also why the Feast of Tabernacles is significant for our celebration of Christmas today.

If you want a copy of this book for your e-reader, it is available on Amazon, or through the publisher, at RedeemingPress.com

Did Jesus Fulfill Hanukkah?

By Jeremy Myers

1 Comment

Lots of Christians have noticed that the authors of the New Testament place great emphasis on the Jewish festivals and holidays and the fact that Jesus fulfilled many of the rituals and traditions of these holidays in His birth, life, death, and resurrection.

But what about Hanukkah? Did Jesus fulfill this holiday also?

Is Hanukkah Biblical?

The immediate objection to even asking the question, however, is that Hanukkah is not a “biblical” holiday. That is, it is not one of the seven feasts which Moses wrote about in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. So why, it might be asked, would Jesus fulfill it?

It is true.

Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. It did not begin to be celebrated until the mid second century BC when some Jewish rebels defeated their Roman captors and set out rededicate the temple to God. To do this, they needed to light the oil lamps in the temple, but most of the oil had been contaminated, and it would take eight days to make more.

However, they found one container of oil which was still sealed and uncontaminated, but it was only enough for one day. So they lit the lamps in the oil to begin the purification process in the temple, and miraculously, the lamp stayed burning for eight full days.

Hanukkah is Mentioned in the New Testament

But did you know that Hanukkah, while not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, is mentioned in the New Testament?

In John 10:22, we read that Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which is Hanukkah. And there are various indications in John 10, as well as in the surrounding context of John 8–11 that Jesus identified Himself with the lights of Hanukkah and especially the central light of the Hanukkah Menorah, the Shamash, or “Servant” light.

Jesus Fulfilled Hanukkah

It seems that though Hanukkah is not a biblical holiday, Jesus still fulfilled it, that He took the symbolism and significance of this holiday and pointed it to Himself.

Which raises the question, if Jesus could do this with a non-biblical Jewish holiday, can He also do this with non-biblical non-Jewish holidays? How about, for example, the ancient holiday to the fertility sex-goddess Ishtar? Or maybe some of the ancient celebrations about Mithras? Or maybe the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia which takes place at this time of year?

Yes, I believe Jesus can (and does) take these holidays and point them to Himself. It is called redemption. Just as He redeems humanity, Jesus also redeems the things that make us human. Along with redeeming humanity, Jesus redeems the things in our culture and calendars that make life meaningful and enjoyable.

Want to learn more about this? I write a lot more about it in my eBook, Christmas Redemption.

Give Gifts to Children in Shoe Boxes

The Importance of Giving Gifts to Others

How Our Family Packs Shoe Boxes

Shoe Box Links

A Tale of Two Christmas Eve Services

The Second Christmas Eve Service

The First Christmas Eve Service

Which Christmas Eve Looked More Like Jesus?

Our Third Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Flashmob

Was Jesus Born in a Barn?

Jesus was Born in a House

But What about the Census?

Did Jesus Fulfill Hanukkah?

Is Hanukkah Biblical?

Hanukkah is Mentioned in the New Testament

Jesus Fulfilled Hanukkah

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