Multiple Illustrations for Christmas Eve/Day
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 9:2-7
It may be hard to believe but the longest reigning monarchy on earth is in Japan, where its emperors date back to the seventh century BC, and its current Yamato dynasty having stayed on the throne since approximately 400 AD. This uninterrupted reign puts every European monarchy to shame.
As staggering as that continuous reign is, consider the fact that we serve a king who will reign unopposed throughout eternity, one whose birth we celebrate today: "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore" (v. 7).
C. Kelly
Isaiah 9:2-7
In the classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street, which usually appears on television this time of year, there is an unforgettable scene of a little girl brought into a department store to visit Santa Claus. The girl's guardian isn't sure they should have come, for the girl speaks only Dutch. The worried woman doesn't want the girl's tender heart to be disappointed by a Santa who understands only English.
But as Santa takes the little one into his lap, he looks into her eyes and begins speaking gently to her… in Dutch. That little girl's face lights up like a lamp because Santa knows her language.
This poignant note does effectively pluck at our heartstrings, but it is fantasy. It's just the movies.
On a deeper level, however, Isaiah is declaring that we have a "Wonderful Counselor" who speaks our language, one who knows our condition through and through. He speaks to us at the very point of our deepest need.
R. Hasler
Titus 2:11-14
In the opening decades of Methodism, it was not a church but a religious society focused on spiritual growth and discipline. Adherents were expected to attend weekly meetings. If, after an inquisition, an individual was deemed to be spiritually sound, he/she would receive a Class Ticket. If one attended enough meetings and continued to live righteously, enough Class Tickets could be accumulated to be eligible to receive a Quarterly Ticket. Quarterly Tickets were revered, reflecting the difficulty of obtaining one.
The Quarterly Tickets were held in such high esteem, showcasing one lived a godly life, that Methodists were buried with the tickets placed in their hands. This was so that when approaching Saint Peter and the Seat of Judgment, the Methodist could present the tickets as an indication that he/she lived a good and godly life and should be allowed entrance into the kingdom of God.
Paul wrote that we are to be "zealous for good deeds." We should seek, under the auspices of old Methodism, to be worthy to hold a Quarterly Ticket.
R. Love
Titus 2:11-14
Children, as all parents know, do not have an innate sense of right and wrong and of proper behavior. When everyone is little, they all have to learn how to share and to consider other people in addition to themselves. Yet this doesn't too often happen by sitting children in front of a chalkboard, defining the word "sharing" and teaching them continental ethics about the "other."
This is why Paul doesn't use the word didasko, as he does elsewhere, which would have denoted formal instruction. Paul says instead paideuo, God's grace instructs or trains us, not as students under a teacher (didaskolos) but as children (paidion) under a parent. In life's teaching moments, and like the good example of a parent, it corrects and directs and inculturates us into making good decisions. We are in a sense being raised by God's grace to live lives that belong to Him.
B. Hohmeier
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
In The House of the Dead, Dostoevsky, the great Russian writer describes a Christmas day in a Siberian prison camp:
"It was a dingy little settlement among frozen wastelands. From the grim prison at one end of a single muddy street the convicts peered through barred windows at the small Cathedral on the hill at the other side of the town."
The prisoners saw others going to the Christmas services but it was not for them.
Then Dostoevsky continues: "Finally, however, when the service had ended and the worshipers had left and turned to the festivities of the day, the priest came to the prison, set up a crude altar, and began the service of worship with these words: 'Now God has come to you for this is where he lives all year long. You see, he goes to the Cathedral only on special occasions.' "
God appears not only in our moments of joy and exaltation but also in our moments of pain and suffering.
R. Hasler
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
This account of the birth of Christ is so commonplace this time of year that it can tend to be glossed over. But it is worth noting that this Child, the Savior of the world, was born essentially homeless, his first breaths taken in a dusty barn. He had none of the comforts of home that we all will enjoy this Christmas as we celebrate with family and friends.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that as of January 2009, over 640,000 Americans were considered homeless. Also, between October 2008 and September 2009, over one and a half million Americans used emergency shelters or transitional housing. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, let us not forget those among us who, like him, have found themselves without a home.
C. Kelly
It may be hard to believe but the longest reigning monarchy on earth is in Japan, where its emperors date back to the seventh century BC, and its current Yamato dynasty having stayed on the throne since approximately 400 AD. This uninterrupted reign puts every European monarchy to shame.
As staggering as that continuous reign is, consider the fact that we serve a king who will reign unopposed throughout eternity, one whose birth we celebrate today: "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore" (v. 7).
C. Kelly
Isaiah 9:2-7
In the classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street, which usually appears on television this time of year, there is an unforgettable scene of a little girl brought into a department store to visit Santa Claus. The girl's guardian isn't sure they should have come, for the girl speaks only Dutch. The worried woman doesn't want the girl's tender heart to be disappointed by a Santa who understands only English.
But as Santa takes the little one into his lap, he looks into her eyes and begins speaking gently to her… in Dutch. That little girl's face lights up like a lamp because Santa knows her language.
This poignant note does effectively pluck at our heartstrings, but it is fantasy. It's just the movies.
On a deeper level, however, Isaiah is declaring that we have a "Wonderful Counselor" who speaks our language, one who knows our condition through and through. He speaks to us at the very point of our deepest need.
R. Hasler
Titus 2:11-14
In the opening decades of Methodism, it was not a church but a religious society focused on spiritual growth and discipline. Adherents were expected to attend weekly meetings. If, after an inquisition, an individual was deemed to be spiritually sound, he/she would receive a Class Ticket. If one attended enough meetings and continued to live righteously, enough Class Tickets could be accumulated to be eligible to receive a Quarterly Ticket. Quarterly Tickets were revered, reflecting the difficulty of obtaining one.
The Quarterly Tickets were held in such high esteem, showcasing one lived a godly life, that Methodists were buried with the tickets placed in their hands. This was so that when approaching Saint Peter and the Seat of Judgment, the Methodist could present the tickets as an indication that he/she lived a good and godly life and should be allowed entrance into the kingdom of God.
Paul wrote that we are to be "zealous for good deeds." We should seek, under the auspices of old Methodism, to be worthy to hold a Quarterly Ticket.
R. Love
Titus 2:11-14
Children, as all parents know, do not have an innate sense of right and wrong and of proper behavior. When everyone is little, they all have to learn how to share and to consider other people in addition to themselves. Yet this doesn't too often happen by sitting children in front of a chalkboard, defining the word "sharing" and teaching them continental ethics about the "other."
This is why Paul doesn't use the word didasko, as he does elsewhere, which would have denoted formal instruction. Paul says instead paideuo, God's grace instructs or trains us, not as students under a teacher (didaskolos) but as children (paidion) under a parent. In life's teaching moments, and like the good example of a parent, it corrects and directs and inculturates us into making good decisions. We are in a sense being raised by God's grace to live lives that belong to Him.
B. Hohmeier
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
In The House of the Dead, Dostoevsky, the great Russian writer describes a Christmas day in a Siberian prison camp:
"It was a dingy little settlement among frozen wastelands. From the grim prison at one end of a single muddy street the convicts peered through barred windows at the small Cathedral on the hill at the other side of the town."
The prisoners saw others going to the Christmas services but it was not for them.
Then Dostoevsky continues: "Finally, however, when the service had ended and the worshipers had left and turned to the festivities of the day, the priest came to the prison, set up a crude altar, and began the service of worship with these words: 'Now God has come to you for this is where he lives all year long. You see, he goes to the Cathedral only on special occasions.' "
God appears not only in our moments of joy and exaltation but also in our moments of pain and suffering.
R. Hasler
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
This account of the birth of Christ is so commonplace this time of year that it can tend to be glossed over. But it is worth noting that this Child, the Savior of the world, was born essentially homeless, his first breaths taken in a dusty barn. He had none of the comforts of home that we all will enjoy this Christmas as we celebrate with family and friends.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that as of January 2009, over 640,000 Americans were considered homeless. Also, between October 2008 and September 2009, over one and a half million Americans used emergency shelters or transitional housing. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, let us not forget those among us who, like him, have found themselves without a home.
C. Kelly
