“Gold for His honor, And frankincense for His pleasure, And myrrh for the cross He will suffer.” These are some of the lyrics from the song, How Many Kings, by Downhere. Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. What is the significance of these gifts given to the newborn Savior of the world?

It is a magnificent, mysterious, hard-to-grasp, and imagination-stretching reality. But when you get it, when you come to fully understand the purpose and implications of this reality, you will stand in awe. What is this reality? Immanuel: God with us!

Many of the old Christmas carols were written and sung over 200-plus years ago. According to online research, there seems to be a much older date for the carol and its message is the Gospel story taken from Luke 2 with a prayer similar to Zachariah’s in Luke 1.

Are you ready for Christmas? I don’t just mean do you have all your gifts bought, wrapped, and sent. I don’t mean do you have all your Christmas cookies baked and iced. I don’t mean do you have your Christmas cards sent. Rather, are you spiritually and emotionally ready for Christmas?

While we decorated and prepared our home for Christmas, I pondered. What traditions do we want to start this year? How will we help our son prioritize the real meaning of Christmas? Although our family doesn’t quite have this solidified yet, here are three things we want to remember at Christmastime.

The reality of Christmas is astonishing if you think about it. The God of the universe became a human being. If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for a while, the reality of Christmas and the Incarnation may not hit you all that hard. But it is an essential part of God’s plan for the world.

Christmas, according to scripture, is not just a story about snow, mistletoe, or presents under a tree as Bing Crosby describes it in his #10 most performed holiday song. John 1:14 describes Christmas as “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Word is Jesus and John 1:4 tells us, that in Jesus is life and that life was the light of all mankind.

The season of Advent is a season in which followers of Jesus prepare for the celebration of His birth by remembering those who first awaited his arrival and identifying with them as we wait on Christ to bring grace and restoration in our own days.

When I welcome someone into my home, I offer them something to drink and try to make them comfortable. So, what would it look like for me, at this beginning of advent, to truly welcome Jesus again into my world—into my very home?

The last words to the first verse of the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World” are: And heaven and heaven and nature sing. So, the question is: How DO heaven and nature sing?

Yesterday I told my wife, Lisa, I can’t stand our Christmas tree. Technically there is nothing wrong with it, I just think it looks like a messy Christmas ornament yard sale. As I looked upon the mess of ornaments hanging all over our tree, like a badly organized garage sale, it hit me - this looks a lot like God’s love for us.

Advent: a time of waiting for the arrival of the Christ Child, the Light of the world. We decorate our world with lights that brighten the darkest time of year...

Christmas is a time of great joy. Many of us look forward to this holiday season all year long. However, we often forget, even as Christians, why Christmas is so important. Humanity is asking the same questions that it did back then—Who am I? What's my problem? How do you fix it?

Did you know that “Jesus" was one of the most common names in Israel at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth? Naming their sons “Jesus” was a way of expressing their hope in God’s promise. Someone was coming to rescue them.

Yes…it is almost December and Advent is soon again upon us. Which means Christmas is not far behind. What would Jesus want for Christmas if we asked Him?…