Week Fifty, 2025
Holidays are wonderful times of the year, each distinct with its own traditions and music. We celebrate different events at different times; all are special, but none is more special than Christmas, for it heralds the coming of Christ the King.
In 1849, Edmund Sears penned “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” It is as relevant today as it ever has been. The strife of war and the modern-day divisions of race, culture, and ideology plague our society. Yet, nothing is greater than celebrating in song the coming of the Christ child to save the world.
Almost all Christmas carols share the joy of the coming of Jesus and the arrival of the One who would change the world. One was an adaptation of Psalm 98. Isaac Watts interpreted this psalm as a celebration of Jesus’s role as King of both His church and the whole world. His poem was set to music to give us what has become one of the most famous of all Christmas carols:
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing!”
Charles Wesley wrote the original lyrics to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in 1739. This hymn is meant to be sung at Christmas time and celebrates the birth of Jesus. No wonder the angels sang.
Phillips Brooks wrote “O Little Town of Bethlehem” after visiting the small village of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, his memories of his journey inspired him to write the lyrics. Indeed, this unknown village would be the birthplace of the Christ child. It became a holy city on what became a holy night.
From a French poem, John Sullivan Dwight translated the lyrics into English in 1855:
“O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
’til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees; O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!”
As we sing the carols of Christmas, may we fall on our knees to celebrate the new and glorious morn when Christ was born and the world would never be the same again.
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Sometimes True Stories
We live in a world that keeps separating us from meaningful personal interactions. We work from home. We take online courses at school. We have virtual doctor appointments. These foment our loneliness and troubled hearts. And yet, God created us with a need for real, personal relationships.
The antidote, then, is to reject a life which distances us from healthy interaction with others. The healthiest interaction is with someone of like spiritual belief. So, it starts with a relationship with Christ Jesus, the One who created us and knows all our needs.
Then, reach out to fellow believers. They are close (Proverbs 18:24). They are there (Proverbs 27:10). They have no prejudice (Galatians 3:28). They are truthful (Ephesians 4:25). And they are kind (Ephesians 4:32). You can’t find them in a computer monitor. Be intentional. Join a church. Make the first move. Bye, bye computer. —Rich Jensen
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One of the great tragedies of our politically correct society today is the acquiescence of the righteous Christian to the wicked. It is impossible to watch the news each day and not see things that in the past would have greatly offended our society but are given a pass with little notice. Crude, offensive language is everywhere and is accepted as commonplace. Perversion is accepted as “art” or “free expression,” and even good Christians hardly say a word. Good and righteous people now live in fear of being politically incorrect. This pollution is like a small muddy stream that slowly trickles into a pristine reservoir and eventually pollutes the entire body of water. As Christians, we must be vigilant and avoid falling into the stream. —Tony Ferguson
Quotes You Can Use
We serve a God of unlimited resources. —Wayne Burks
It’s not how really well I pray. It’s how really well God listens. —Rich Jensen
Tommy Campbell on revival:
Revival produces Gospel fruit that comes as a result of Gospel proclamation.
Revival is a work of the Spirit of God that cannot be manufactured.
Revival brings radical repentance and confronts cultural idols.
Revival exalts Jesus.
Your diet is not only what you eat. It is what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, and the people you hang around with. Pay attention to what you feed your soul, not just your stomach.
Paul was willing to die for Jesus because Jesus died for Paul.
God’s truth cannot be filtered through man’s knowledge and wisdom. Wayne Burks
If people are prepared, God will supply both the opportunities and financial resources so His work will be accomplished. —Wayne Burks
You have been made to contain God.
How many times have we heard someone complain that someone else took their eye off the ball? Perhaps it is because we often go through life with our eyes closed to what is truly important, instead of focusing on the most important aspect of life. Eternity is in all our future, and we get to choose where we spend it. —Tony Ferguson
Morality may keep us out of jail. But it takes the blood of Jesus to keep us out of hell. —Charles Spurgeon
America’s moral problem is a spiritual problem, not a political one, and its solution is the Gospel, not partisan politics. —John MacArthur
When you think that you are unfairly hated, try to remember that you are unfairly loved by Jesus. —R.C. Sproul
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