I hope you had a Merry Christmas. Receive any funny gifts?

I got a Grow-A-Head, basically my only chance of growing a full head of hair:

I’ll keep you posted on his progress. I’m looking for a good name or my verdant-haired pet. Any suggestions?

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Today is a milestone: this is the 250th post on the five15 blog.

Thanks for reading!

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This year, Mark encouraged our church to read through the Bible in a year. I’m curious: how many of you have done it, and how has it gone?

Give us the short version in the sidebar poll.

Whether you read through the Bible or not, I trust that you’ve been met by God as you drew near to God through his word and prayer. What have you learned about God or about yourself in relation to God through your devotions this past year?

If you haven’t started thinking about what to do in your devotions in the New Year, now is the time to make some plans. We don’t drift into this. Ask your parents what would best serve you this year.

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Some people–believers and non-believers–have made the claim that celebrating Christmas on December 25 has roots in paganism.

A few weeks ago, Al Mohler knocked this belief on his blog, quoting William J. Tighe’s article “Calculating Christmas” in Touchstone magazine.

It’s worthwhile reading, and here’s the bottom line from Dr. Tighe’s article:

“Thus, December 25th as the date of the Christ’s birth appears to owe nothing whatsoever to pagan influences upon the practice of the Church during or after Constantine’s time. It is wholly unlikely to have been the actual date of Christ’s birth, but it arose entirely from the efforts of early Latin Christians to determine the historical date of Christ’s death.”

So what did happen on or about December 25, 2005 years ago? In celebration of Christmas, here is the full text of Luke 2:1-21,

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

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More wisdom from Dr. Packer on the incarnation of Jesus:

“We talk glibly of the “Christmas spirit,” rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes becaome poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself out got to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.” (p. 63)

“For the Christian Spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves–poor–spending and being spent–to enriush their fellow humans giving time, trouble, care, and concer, to do good to others–and not just htei own friends00in wahtever way there seems need.” (p. 64)

Sounds like Philippians 2:5-7,

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

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Courtesy of the Girl Talkers, here is a Christmas Greeting from my nephew Andrew. Profound truth from a young reader.

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I love how Christmas reminds us of the incarnation - a hefty theological word meaning that Jesus, while fully God, the second person of the Trinity, took on flesh and became fully man. How could Jesus be fully God and fully man? This question has puzzled theologians for centuries. J.I. Packer explains in Knowing God:

“But in fact the real difficulty, the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us… is in the Christian message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man… that he toook humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human.” (pg. 53)

So what do we do with this knowledge? Dr. Packer continues,

“How are we to think of the Incarnation? The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that it raises, but to worship God for the love that was shown in it. For it was a great act of condescension and self-humbling.” (p. 58, emphasis mine)

Let’s thank God for the truth revealed in John 1:14 and other verses like it:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(Hat tip: Brian Chesemore for the idea for this post.)

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I love our new name for our youth ministry. five15 has a great ring to it, and I love how 2 Corinthians 5:15 sums up what we’re all about. As I’ve been reading through the Bible, I keep running across other verses that say the same thing in a different way. But they might not be as useful for naming our ministry.

For instance, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is wonderful:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

But try and imagine this on a t-shirt: six19through20. Even though it probably wouldn’t fit on a t-shirt, what it communicates about grace and the gospel is sweet: we belong to Christ just like Christ belongs to God, so all things are ours to enjoy and benefit from.

What about you? Have you run across other verses that make you think: that sounds a lot like five15?

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There are rare occasions when this blog has a moral obligation to deviate from our normal purpose. This day would be one of those occasions.

I’m not a rabid Redskins fan, but I watched Gibbs and the Skins thrash the Cowboys, 35-7, with particular delight. This perfect storm converged on FedEx Field and washed up a heaping helping of seared Tuna. (I’m referring to Cowboy’s coach Bill Parcells and his less than flattering nickname).

I asked my father-in-law what he thought about about the victory, and he provided me with the following wisdom:

“While avoiding the idol-worship that is prominent in and around Washington D.C. today, we are nevertheless very happy. Because we hate the Cowboys. Any team that arrogantly appoints themselves ‘America’s Team’ should be despised by all those who love humility.”

Here is Coach Joe Gibbs response to the game:

“We played the game of our life,” Gibbs said. “I feel very humble just to be a part of it.”

I hope you appreciate the rarity this represents: a reference to humility from a humble coach after an historic victory over a despised rival. How often do you find humility in professional sports?

Let every Redskins fan follow Gibbs’ example: let’s be very happy, but let’s be humble as well. Let us pass and not fail this test of prosperity.

You might enjoy coverage and commentary by Wilbon, Kornheiser, and Boswell.

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