Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Day

No angels. No shepherds. No wise men. No manger. No mention of Joseph and Mary. It isn’t your traditional Christmas story. But it is. The Apostle John opens his Gospel with a theological look at the birth of Jesus Christ. I doubt anyone has ever turned it into a Christmas pageant, even though the message […]

Christmas Eve 2024

My grandson has a job he takes very seriously. During Advent, every time he has visited us he has made a beeline for the Christmas tree and turned on the lights. That there are presents under the tree with his name on them hasn’t sunk in. For him, Christmas isn’t about what he will get […]

Fourth Sunday

Feeling in a festive mood and too laid back to write some new reflections. For the fourth Sunday of Advent I am reposting this piece from December 2021. I was struck by this photo when I saw it online. It is a reminder at this time of year there is more to Christmas than a cultural […]

Third Sunday In Advent

Christmas is getting closer, and the theme for this Sunday is joy. With that in mind, I thought we’d go with some a couple of humorous images of the season.

Second Sunday

Today is the second Sunday of the Advent season, the day we light the peace candle. Not that there’s much peace in the world today, especially in the Middle East. The absence of peace is a reminder of why we need Advent and Christmas. Jesus came to bring peace. Left on our own, we humans […]

First Sunday of Advent

The Christmas season officially begins today. It is a time of anticipation of the joy of the birth of the Christ child. You don’t need to be a Christian to be captured by the season. Probably most of those who celebrate are not Christ followers. But it is a special time for Christians. My family […]

Flashback Claus

Continuing with our Friday theme of looking back at previous posts, here’s one from November 22, 2014 – which has its roots more than 20 years before that. In shopping malls across North American the excitement has almost peaked: Santa Claus is coming! Indeed, many communities celebrate with a Santa Claus parade, held now about […]

Wrong Season Flashback

For our Flashback Friday we go back to August 9, 2018. I noticed this year that Halloween displays now start in July. There’s a message there somewhere. It is August. I am sure of that because I read it on the calendar. Though my first visit of the year to a Canadian grocery store had […]

The In-Between Time

The week between Christmas and New Year’s always seems different somehow. It is as if time has slowed down.In Canada, Christmas Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are statutory holidays. Given that, many people take the other three days of that work week off to get an extended vacation. There are fewer cars on the […]

Merry Christmas!

Of course, there is no point to Christmas on it’s own. Good Friday, and then Easter, are what give it meaning.