The 2 Greatest

What denominational tradition did you grow up in or with which one are you most familiar?  Did you know there were "denominations" in Jesus day and followers of those streams are still here today?  You might be one of them.  Listen in!

Probably every Jesus lover would say, "I want to be more like Jesus."  But HOW does it happen?  It's not magic and it's not automatic.  There's something else going on and that's what this episode is all about.

It's easy to get the idea that the kingdom of God is for the GOOD people, the BEAUTIFUL people, the special saints--but not for me.  Jesus blows that idea out of the water with the beatitudes and later with his invitation to COME!

Life goes by so fast we rarely take time to savor what has just happened before we rush on to the next event, appointment or holiday.  The saints of old knew how to slow down and soak in something like Christmas.  They lingered longer and it would be good if we would too.

Do you have an all-time favorite Christmas song? If so, what makes it special to you ?  I have one and it answers THE question of Christmas!

There is always more going on in a story than we know.  The Wise Men are one such element of the Christmas story that raises lots of questions for us.  We've always been curious about how many? We can't be confident there were only three just because there were three gifts. Well, here's what I do know; you and I can be counted in their number!  

We tend to be dualistic in our thinking:  this or that, but not both.  It HAS to be one or the other. But believers CAN both acknowledge pain AND give praise.  Listen today to a famous page from American history.  It's a  familiar Christmas song that make the point so well.

With the COVID vaccines rolling out around the world we are all a bit more hopeful.  2020 has taken so much from us, but has it also GIVEN to us things we might want to keep on the other side? Is there any way you might be missing COVID?  Listen in.

In your community the quiet, yet persistent reminder of Christmas love and giving is present.  Do you see it?  God is using the faithfulness of bell ringers to point to God's love for all.  Will you be a bell ringer for Jesus?

We've all had the experience of disappointment, when a product didn't live up to its billing.  It's happened all too often and we've become pretty good at being skeptics.  But when it comes to the story of the incarnation and all the implications that go with it; Christmas is NOT too good to be true.