Archive for December, 2006
Merry Christmas
December 25, 2006 12:58 pmThe Nativity Story
December 23, 2006 7:53 am
I’ll join the chorus of voices in praise of The Nativity Story. I don’t often recommend movies for the same reason I don’t often recommend music: there are so few that are worthy of our time and attention. But The Nativity Story gets my vote.
Any retelling of Biblical narrative runs several serious risks: the producer and director might so deviate from the actual story as to make it unrecognizable. The set may be cheap, the dialog forced or over-dramatized. Somehow, The Nativity Story threads the high ground between these deep ditches, and the effect is dramatic.
Every part of the story was well-told. From Zechariah and Elisabeth to the Magi from the East, the story is told accurately and fully. In particular, Joseph and Mary’s faith toward God was vividly portrayed. In so many retellings of the story, Joseph’s part is all but marginalized, but I loved how the movie represented his courage, faith, and leadership. And you could see Mary “treasuring these things in her heart.”
If you’re looking for something to do on the day after Christmas (and you’ve already been to the Sackler Gallery!), check out The Nativity Story.
You don’t have to take my word for it. You can also read reviews by the GirlTalkers or Dr. Al Mohler.
Parents: the births of John and Jesus and Herod’s infanticide are not graphic, but they are vivid. Be careful with younger children.
Bigger, Better, Brighter
December 22, 2006 8:18 pm
This evening, we indulged in our of our cheesiest favorite Christmas traditions: the Festival of Lights. For the uninitiated, the Festival of Lights is a three-mile car tour through Bull Run Regional Park, a scenic journey through a couple dozen lights displays of reindeer, snowmen, tin soldiers, and candy canes. Jack loved it.
On the way home, we checked out some of our favorite–and free–lights displays. That glow on the horizon is a house on Stonehunt Place in Little Rocky Run in Centreville that is absolutely covered in lights. Another favorite is near the end of Sideburn Road (the other end from GMU).
What do you think: where are the best lights in the area?
In The Beginning
December 20, 2006 11:15 pm
Today, our pastoral team took a field trip down to the Sackler Gallery to see an exhibit entitled: “In The Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000.” The website explains what this exhibit is all about:
The exhibition will present over 70 of the earliest biblical artifacts in existence, including pages and fragments written in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian and Coptic—many on display for the first time in the United States. The Sackler Gallery will be the only venue for the exhibition.
We got to see fragments, pages, and Bibles, some of which were nearly 2000 years old. Many of the peices on display are some of the oldest known copies of the Bible, and many were preserved with incredible clarity and legibility given their age.
My favorite was two leaves from an ancient manuscript called the Codex Sinaiticus. Dating from the mid-fourth century, this is one of the oldest complete copies of the Bible in the form we know it today. Apparently, it was discovered in 1975 in the Monastary of St. Catherine near Mt. Sinai in Egypt, behind a wall in a tower.
I was most impressed by what was missing from the exhibit: any evidence that there has been substantial change in the Bible over the last 2000 years (or far more in the case of the Old Testament). While there are minor variations at insignificant points in some of these ancient documents, there is remarkable unity among the manuscripts. The charge is often levelled against Christians that we follow a book written by man; that it has been changed through the centuries on the whim of human agenda. But this exhibit seems to unwittingly prove the opposite: that there is an unbroken chain of written testimony connecting our day to the eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ, and before. It seems clear from this exhibit that the Holy Spirit has superintended the process to bring us the Bible that we love so much today. If you’ve ever been tempted to doubt it’s origins or veracity, visit this exhibit and stand amazed at God’s grace to us.
I’m told that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; these ancient texts are very rare and very precious. If you plan to see it, you’ll need to hustle down there: the exhibit is only on display through January 7.
Christmas = Happy (?)
December 19, 2006 1:53 pmChristmas Party Recap
December 18, 2006 9:32 amfive15 Christmas Party
December 13, 2006 12:39 pmA Lot Of Names
December 12, 2006 9:35 am
I had the privilege of preaching on Isaiah 40 on Sunday. In the middle of this chapter, Isaiah urges us to consider who God is and what he’s like as a way to motivate us to turn away from idolatry. One of the ways he does this is to direct our attention to the stars:
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing. (Is. 40:26)
Amazing! God has not only numbered by named every star in the universe! There are so many stars, we don’t really know how many there are. I’ve always heard that there are something like 100 billion galaxies like our Milky Way, each galaxy holding 100 billion stars. Tony Rossell sent me this link to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center which confirms that that’s a good estimate. If you write it out, it looks like this: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. That’s a lot of stars, a lot of names.
Next time you’re gazing into the night sky, remember: every one of those stars has a name. And God remembers all their names without breaking a sweat. Next time you’re tempted to put your trust or hope of affection in something other than God, remember who He is and what He’s done.
Something For Your Christmas List
December 8, 2006 8:20 am
It’s rare that I recommend new music on this blog, although I come across music I like all the time. There are simply so few bands to which I feel like I can give a complete endorsement, and so few albums which I like in their entirety.
But here’s one for your Christmas list: Aaron Baird, Jonathan Baird, Ryan Baird, Zach Boomsma, and Sean Curran form the band West Coast Revival. They’re members of Abundant Life Community Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Pasadena, CA.
West Coast Revival’s recent self-titled release, WCR, is top shelf. The music is creative and diverse, the lyrics rich and biblical. I don’t know if you have noticed, but this is a very rare occurence in the Christian music world. The opening song, “Intro”, expounds on the truths of Romans 8:28. “Goodbye” is a reverent tribute to a recently passed grandfather, it will be a source of comfort to all who have known such loss. “House of the Lord” is an inspiring ballad to the local church. “Rising Sun” celebrates the grace and mercy from God that is new every morning. “Here With Christ”, “Wonders of Christ Crucified” and others are deep, theologically-informed songs.
If you haven’t finalized your Christmas list yet, move this to the top. And then let’s pray that albums like this would inspire an East Coast Revival.
Listen To Hebrews
December 6, 2006 8:36 amIf you weren’t at the Worship Conference in August, you need to watch the video of Ryan Ferguson reciting Hebrews 9 and 10. First, this is a wonderful act of devotion to God that is worthy of our emulation. (It’s actually not as hard as you would think to memorize whole chapters or books of the Bible. Learn more here.)
Second, I love the way Ryan models how to read Scripture: loudly, passionately, firmly. These words from Hebrews 9 and 10 come so alive when they are read like this.
Watch and enjoy.
