A pastor shares how his congregation takes the true meaning of Christmas to their community every December

by Steve Sjogren

Christmas is a loaded word for most of us. For followers of Jesus, of course, the deepest sense of the word has to do with God coming to earth in the form of a baby: "Immanuel," as the prophet Isaiah put it, "God with us." Many other pleasant images also come to mind when we say Christmas. A word-association quiz might come up with such thoughts as family dinners, candlelit services, firesides or carols. But let's face it: Christmas does have its other moments.

A second quiz might call to mind different images-things like crowded malls, traffic gridlock or irritating relatives.

Despite all the glorious aspects of the celebration of Christ's birth, there also is a tension in most of our lives about the Christmas season. Many of us suffer with a sense of guilt-brought on, I believe, by the selfish focus that has been built around the holiday season.

I'm not just talking about all the attention that's given to greed, gifts and gorging. There's also the less obvious inclination we have to think the Christmas story is just "for us."

The church's pure and joyous call, "Rejoice! Christ has come to us!"-while it is wonderful news to be celebrated-is only part of the message of Christmas. Immanuel, "God with us," means God also wants to be "with them"—through us.

A New Tradition

For several years, people from the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, which I pastor, have built a new tradition into their hearts. They have explored creative ways to take small deeds of love to the people in our city during the holidays.

We have continued to seek creative ways to gain an audience with the unchurched by serving our way into their lives year-round. We call this approach to sharing Christ servant evangelism.

At Christmastime, when people seem to be particularly vulnerable to thinking about spiritual issues, much can be done to build bridges to the unchurched. We stared when one of our members, a housewife, got eh idea that everybody needs their gifts wrapped at Christmas. "We could go to the mall and wrap presents for free!" she challenged.

We approached mall management about our gift-wrap "outreach." At first they were skeptical. "Tell us again," they asked. "Why do you want to do this for free?" We had several meetings before they finally gave us the nod. We invested about $3,000 in paper, tape, scissors, and bows and were enthusiastically on our way.

To the management's surprise, the project was a smashing success. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we wrapped presents for more than 10,000 customers. The mall received good publicity, and we were able to talk to a lot of people about when we were wrapping for free: to show God's love in a practical way!

For six holiday seasons, we have wrapped presents at that mall. Our credibility with the management has slowly risen each year.

Last Christmas season, when we wrapped 25,000 presents, the mall insisted on paying for the wrapping supplies. Now it pays for the materials—and we share with shoppers about God's love for them. What a deal! read more

by Nancy Justice

Paul and Betty Neff know a lot about surviving the Christmas holidays with painful memories of happier times. In 1983, they lost four of their five young children when their home was destroyed by fire five days before Christmas. Seven years later, Jon, their sole surviving child, was killed in a tractor accident.

"There's not a day goes by that we don't think about this," Betty told Charisma. "You learn to live with it. It becomes part of your life."

The Neffs found it was too painful celebrating Christmas with the same cherished family traditions, but they didn't want to ignore the holiday. "It would have been very wrong of us," Betty says, "after teaching our children all those years to celebrate Jesus' birthday."

The couple discovered it was best to find new "normals" in their daily life, and at Christmastime that meant finding new traditions. So come Dec. 25 they'll do again what they've done in recent years-share Christmas dinner with a family in need and provide presents for any children.

Paul and Betty resolved their grief and now counsel people who have lost loved ones through illness, accidents or catastrophes. Their ministry started when they heard a news report of a deadly house fire in Florida and traveled there to minister to the surviving parents. Now, upon hearing other such news stories, the Neffs visit or try to at least contact the survivors.

The couple shares how crucial it is for survivors to discuss what happened. "I had been very secretive about how I felt," Betty says. "I thought I was protecting Paul and Jon. I was hurting and didn't want to hurt them."

"It's actually a trick of the enemy," Paul explains. "You hold it inside, and it builds up. Ultimately you go after each other. That's why the divorce rate is so incredibly high among couples who suffer a multiple-loss trauma such as ours."

Paul also says survivors who know Christ must realize they will be attacked by the enemy, maybe even daily.

"Anyone who survives this type of situation is used of the Lord," he says. "The enemy will use every means to draw you down."

And don't be surprised, he adds, if those closest to you cause the most heartache-a common occurrence among survivors they've talked to.

"Close loved ones are grieving, too, and may not know how to deal with it, especially if they aren't Christians. The survivor overcomes it, and when those loved ones see you, they're reminded of their own unresolved grief," he says.

The Neffs' ministry isn't limited to trauma survivors. Once, after reading about a comatose woman in Pennsylvania, the couple traveled to her hospital and prayed for her, as well as for other patients. The woman came out of the coma months later and told Paul and Betty that she remembered praying with them to accept Christ.

"It brings us so much joy to bless others like that," Betty says.

Nancy Justice is the former news editor for Charisma.

How do you minister to people grieving during the holidays? read more

In 1983, Paul and Betty Neff lost four of their five children when a fire destroyed their home just days before Christmas. Six years later their only remaining son was killed. Through it all, the Neffs learned how Jesus can take our grief and make something beautiful.

by Nancy Justice

Betty Neff was 23 and a first-time mother when she dreamed she visited heaven:

"I was a young girl dressed in a flowing white dress, running barefoot through a soft grassy meadow. Flowers were everywhere, in bright, radiant colors.

"I came to a small hill and immediately recognized Jesus standing at the top. He wore a long, white robe with a blue sash draped over one shoulder and wrapped around His waist. I couldn't see their faces, but there were four children on Jesus' right side and a person the size of an adult on His left.

"I'll never forget Jesus' eyes—they seemed bottomless, as if they enveloped me. I kept running but started to trip several times. Each time Jesus was able to help me up without ever leaving the youngsters. And then ... I couldn't see Him anymore ... ."

It was a week before Christmas 1983. "Please, Daddy, oh, please! It just won't be the same without you there," Paul and Betty Neff's youngsters pleaded, hammering away at their dad's refusal to attend their Christmas play at church that afternoon. Paul, a 37-year-old, 222-pound ex-Marine who had fought some pretty tough battles in Vietnam, realized that in this case it would be easier to surrender.

"OK, I'll go," he announced.

Standing nearby, Betty, 36, watched and smiled. Her children—Gabrielle, 7; Amanda, 8; Christiana, 10; Jon, 11; and David, 13—were special; people around their small town of Grove City, Ohio, often said so. Each had accepted Christ and been filled with the Holy Spirit at an early age.

But Betty's pride was tinged with sadness. In recent weeks she had had difficulty explaining to the children why Daddy wasn't going to church. Her own understanding was wearing thin.

Just two weeks ago Paul had been out drinking again—this time coming home with his forearm in a cast from busting out a car window during an argument. Yet he remained a loving father. His favorite time of day was when he came home from work to play with his kids.

That Sunday afternoon, he and Betty sat in the back of the small country church and watched their youngsters help portray the Christmas story. Paul's fatherly pride was soon replaced with an overwhelming sense of conviction. There, amid little shepherds in bedsheets and wise

men in bathrobes, he found himself weeping silently and asking for God's forgiveness.

At home that night, Betty handed out homemade cookies and mugs of hot cocoa while Paul strung up lights on the Christmas tree and led the kids in Christmas carols. Betty couldn't decide which were brighter: the lights on the tree or the sparkles in her children's eyes. They were so delighted—Daddy was back in church!

After they had been sent upstairs to bed, the girls sneaked into their brothers' room. They listened to Christmas stories on the radio until they all fell asleep lying across the big double bed.

Paul and Betty had decided to live in the country so their children "would be one another's best friends." Their two-story, five-bedroom farmhouse, about 15 miles outside Columbus, sat on three acres of farmland and had a barn for the animals. read more

Explaining the reality of angelic beings in everyday life

by Ron Phillips

Angelic activity always increases at times of great spiritual breakthrough in the kingdom of God. Christmas was just such a moment in history. At the first advent of Christ, the earth exploded with angelic activity.

God sent angels to make announcements to all who took part in the birth of the Savior. Gabriel the angel appeared to the priest Zacharias and told him: "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John" (Luke 1:13). Soon after, Elizabeth was pregnant with the Messiah's forerunner, John the Baptist.

Gabriel was sent to Mary, Jesus' mother, to herald her as the woman chosen by God to birth His Son. Joseph was reassured of Mary's virginal purity by an angel who appeared to him in a dream. An angel directed the shepherds to Bethlehem so they could find the stable and manger where Jesus was. The same angel along with countless others serenaded above the shepherds' field.

Angelic activity increases when God releases the supernatural into the natural. And angelic ministry increases when our faith responds to the Word of God. Just as the first Christmas was a season of miracles, so it is now. You and I can learn to move on "miracle ground" where God's angels operate.

Angels Move on Miracle Ground

The point is this: Because Jesus reigns as King the kingdom of God has come. Therefore, we live today in a time of kingdom breakthrough. These are the last days, and angelic activity is increasing, bringing with it miracles from God. The reason for this rise in supernatural operations is twofold.

First, as we move toward the end, human options begin to dwindle. Our ingenuity has created a world that is rushing toward ruin and chaos. As this time approaches, God releases more angelic intervention to miraculously protect His people and promote His kingdom.

Second, for the last century the church has been experiencing the renewal and restoration of the Pentecostal gifts. Beginning with the Azusa Street Revival in the early 1900s and continuing to this day, a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit has been sweeping across our world. Conversions to Christianity in developing countries are reaching record numbers. Even the Islamic world is being powerfully impacted by the supernatural. Angels are appearing there even where there's no missionary presence.

As charismatic ministry is increasingly embraced, old divisions are falling away, and kingdom unity is spreading worldwide. The last-days church must be kingdom-focused if we hope to see a release of the supernatural, which includes miraculous angelic assistance.

Kingdom Ministry

It is essential for us to know how to be in a prime position to receive and activate this supernatural influence of angels in our world. One of the main things we need to understand is how the kingdom of God works in relation to us and our earthly realm.

There are certain kingdom laws in the Word of God that angels abide by, and if we are to benefit from having angels as our allies, we too must abide by those laws. Here are a few points to help us understand God's kingdom and make this connection between the kingdom laws and our angelic allies.

1. The kingdom of God dwells within us. If Jesus is Lord in our lives, then His kingdom has come through us (Luke 17:21). Yet we will only have full access to it and its resources when we are born again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5.) This access to kingdom resources requires a willingness to change (repent) and a submissive, broken spirit (Matt. 3:2; 6:33.) With the kingdom of God being present all around us through angelic miracles, with old walls between churches being broken down, and with miraculous conversions occurring in the Islamic countries, it is clear that we are living in a time of kingdom breakthrough.

2. The kingdom of God is also yet to come. We do not yet see all the aspects and inner workings of God's kingdom (Heb. 2:8-9). Its "fullness" is still to come because we are still waiting for Jesus to return. Jesus also confirms this in John 18:36 by saying the kingdom of God is "not of this world."

3. The kingdom of God intensifies through the Holy Spirit. In the letters of the apostle Paul, he calls the baptism of the Holy Spirit a guarantee of the powers of the world to come in the here and now! Furthermore, the powers of the kingdom are released at our sealing and anointing (2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:14). I am convinced that many Christians are children of the kingdom but are not sons! All who are saved are children, yet the rights of sonship—which include angels, miracles, and signs and wonders—belong to those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

4. The kingdom of God brings power and life into the world. Angels are a part of that realm we call the kingdom of heaven. When a church or a believer is willing to sell out to all God has, the angelic activity will increase exponentially! In a suffering, sad and dirty world we need this kingdom that is "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17) to be activated.

Let's look now at some of the ways angels impact our world with kingdom power. read more

How we can help people in our congregations move into the holiday season as ambassadors of God's love.

by Jack Hayford

I was wonderfully reminded of something recently—oh, the power of it!—something that could change your Thanksgiving and charge your Christmas this year—and I don't mean on a credit card! The reminder came while I was completing my book—a book with "blessing" in the title. I had almost missed including one of the mightiest truths about that word.

Briefly, the book is titled Blessing Your Children: How You Can Love the Kids in Your Life. It's an eight-chapter piece born of hundreds of counseling sessions and dozens of parenting-seminar presentations and is designed for teachers, children's workers and all who have a place of potential influence on a child's life, as well as young parents, providing them with practical guidance and biblical wisdom.

With four kids, 11 grandkids and having pastored a lot of people for a lot of years, I was pleased when a publisher asked me to prepare a parenting tool that would be something other than the usual—something that also would be useful for anyone who had kids in his or her life, whether or not he or she were parents.

This isn't a book review column, so I won't describe the other seven chapters, but the following is adapted from the chapter titled "Speaking Blessings Over Your Children." I've adjusted it to broader application here, at an appropriate time, with both Thanksgiving and Christmas facing most of the people in our churches with family exposures—sometimes delightful, sometimes otherwise. It occurred to me that such "blessing" may have a redemptively dynamic potential in such seasonal settings.

Blessing in prayer and conversation I can't help but think of times people have described to me the holiday difficulties of being among family or friends with whom certain strain exists. Sometimes the cause is related to painful issues from the past, and other times it's that unbelieving family members resent the believers. (Sadly, on occasion, this happens when believers conduct themselves unwisely at family gatherings, seeking to "scalp-hunt for God" rather than simply showing love and respect to family members and letting the Holy Spirit take it from there.)

I also remember the testimonies we have received through the years in our own congregation—stories of family members ultimately won to Christ by being blessed rather than by being made to feel either "less than" or "disapproved by" their believing relatives. The strategy: Carry warmly expressed and lovingly worded blessings into your holiday gatherings.

"Could I please speak a blessing of love over all of us?" is an offer that is hard to turn down. This can be done at either a personal or group level—and it can be done in conversation just as well as in a formal bow-your-head prayer. It can even be presented to the family as a toast, a gesture that can be offered with water in your glass irrespective of whatever anyone else has in theirs.

Preparing 'blessors'. To help people toward this means of touching their families—especially at holiday times—I have done some special teachings on "The Power of Blessing." It is always amazing how God has conferred a capacity for our words to cause things to happen, and it is within the broader scope of this remarkable truth that the privilege and the power of speaking blessings function. read more

What comes to mind when you think of Santa Claus? Probably jolly ol' St. Nick in his red suit, a snowy North Pole, a sleigh pulled by reindeer, gifts for Christmas or similar images. But there's more to "St. Nick" than just the nickname.

History tells us that an actual Christian saint by the name of Nicholas ministered in the fourth century. Mythologized and secularized though he has been, Nicholas' deeds of compassion were authentic.

Nicholas was born in the port city of Patara in Asia Minor around A.D. 280. When he was still young he came to faith in Christ, due primarily to an uncle who was a priest. When he was about 10 years old, a plague swept Patara killing many, including Nicholas' parents. His uncle placed him in a monastery, an act of kindness in those times.

At 19 Nicholas became a priest, and at 20 he became the bishop of Myra Lysia, now Demre, a city near Patara. He became known as a compassionate bishop who had a great love for the poor, disenfranchised and morally bankrupt.

Nicholas' acts of mercy soon became the stuff of legends. The most famous story regards his wealthy friend, a shipping merchant, who was reduced to poverty overnight. This man had three daughters of marrying age. In those days a young woman could not marry unless her father provided a dowry for her; without one, she was doomed to a lifetime of loneliness and poverty.

Nicholas had the resources to help his friend but knew the offer of such assistance would humiliate the man—who would never be able to repay the loan. The good bishop was jolted out of his dilemma when he learned the eldest daughter would sell herself as a prostitute to pay the dowries of her younger sisters.

Still, his plan would have to be done in secret so his friend would not be dishonored. On three consecutive nights Nicholas crept into town and dropped bags of gold where the family would easily find them. On the last night, he dropped a bag of gold down the chimney, where it landed in a stocking hung up to dry. After the third night, the daughters had their dowries, the merchant's family was rescued from poverty and the eldest daughter was saved from prostitution.

Nicholas was also a defender of the faith. He lived three centuries after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and church doctrine about the person of Christ was not yet fully developed.

A priest named Arius was teaching a heresy called Arianism, which stated that Christ was more than a man but less than God. To settle this, then-Emperor Constantine called a council of bishops at Nicaea. The result was the condemnation of Arius and his teachings and the development of the Nicene Creed, a Christian statement of faith.

It is believed that Nicholas was present at the council and became so enraged at Arius' denials of Jesus' divinity that he punched his jaw and sent him flying from the council hall.

Nicholas, who loved children, started a ministry akin to the original "Santa's workshop." He hired a cook and carpenter—the latter to supply wooden toys for poor children. He is credited with the original recipe for cinnamon rolls and gingerbread, invented as a comfort food for children.

Saint Nicholas is believed to have died in either 342 or 352, or some time in between, on December 6.

Should children be taught to believe in Santa?

-30- read more

You will want to catch the next Ministry21/Ministry Today conference call tomorrow with pastor, marriage expert and author Jimmy Evans. Join us for an hour of engaging conversation with the senior leader of 10,000-plus strong Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas, for the past 29 years on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. CDT, 2 p.m. MDT and 1 p.m. PDT.

Here is the call information: Dial-in number (712) 432-1001; access code: 467245262#. Listen in as we to talk to Jimmy about strengthening marriage, the theme of the November-December issue of Ministry Today, now available.

Jimmy is also the founder and CEO of Marriage Today, a ministry that is devoted to helping couples build strong and fulfilling marriages and families. You can read Jimmy's informative article about avoiding the traps of ministry marriages in the November-December issue of Ministry Today by clicking here.

You will want to get a copy of the magazine because the issue is full of good material by nationally respected leaders such as Dr. Doug Weiss, Gary Smalley, Dr. Tim Clinton, and Larry and Jonathan Stockstill—who were Ministry Today guest editors last year on the issue of "integrity." So there is plenty here to minister to you in your own brokenness, and to help heal those whom God has entrusted into your care as a leader.

Now is the perfect time to subscribe to Ministry Today—a great gift idea for Christmas. We're currently offering a special promotion that includes two free gifts—evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's "Full Flame" DVD series and the ESV (English Standard Version) Thinline Bible. Click here to subscribe to Ministry Today. read more

The 12 days of Christmas mentioned in the carol by this name refer to the 12 days of feasting and celebration originally designated in the sixth century as a time to commemorate the incarnation of Christ. The 12-day period began on December 25 and ended January 5.

The carol dates to the 16th century when Roman Catholics were experiencing religious persecution in England. From 1558 until 1829 it was illegal for them to practice or express their faith in any form in public.

In fact, to be caught in public with any material about the Christian faith brought imprisonment and death. Out of this intense persecution, "The 12 Days of Christmas" emerged as a kind of coded message affirming belief in Christ and in the Bible.

Each of the 12 days represents some important aspect of the Christian faith that the disciple was to learn and adhere to. Below is the hidden meaning behind this clever Christmas carol.

First day: The "partridge in a pear tree" represents the birth of Christ on Christmas day. Christ is portrayed as a partridge because of the instinctual habit of mother partridges to pretend to be injured in order to decoy predators away from their helpless young.

Second day: "Two turtle doves" refers to the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Third day: "Three French hens" stands for the three virtues written about in 1 Corinthians 13:13: faith, hope and love.

Fourth day: "Four calling birds" symbolizes the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Fifth day: "Five golden rings" points to the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Sixth day: "Six geese a-laying" stands for the six days of creation and the affirmation that almighty God is the creator and sustainer of all things.

Seventh day: "Seven swans a-swimming" represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Romans 11: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving and generosity, leadership, and compassion and mercy.

Eighth day: "Eight maids a-milking" stands for the eight beatitudes Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5), each beginning with "Blessed are": (1) the poor in spirit;

(2) those who mourn; (3) the meek; (4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; (5) the merciful; (6) the pure in heart; (7) the peacemakers; and (8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.

Ninth day: "Nine ladies dancing" represents the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

10th day: "Ten lords a-leaping" symbolizes the Ten Commandments (see Ex. 20:1-17).

11th day: "Eleven pipers piping" refers to the 11 faithful disciples. Because Judas Iscariot, the 12th disciple, betrayed Jesus, he is not included among the faithful.

12th day: "Twelve drummers drumming" emphasizes the 12 doctrinal points of the Apostles' Creed, which outlines the core beliefs of the Christian faith.

What Christmas carol is the most Christ-centered for you? read more

What do bells have to do with Christmas? For centuries, church bells rang all over the world, expressing the glad tidings of Christ's birth.

In medieval times bells somberly tolled an hour before midnight on Christmas Eve, warning the powers of darkness of the approaching birth of the ultimate Deliverer. In England, this was called "tolling the devil's knell."

At the stroke of midnight, which ushered in Christmas, the bells started ringing joyously, and continued every hour afterward. Christmas bells have played a major role in ancient Christmas traditions, warning the devil and his demons to flee, as well as calling Christians to joyous exaltation over the birth of Christ. This hope-producing Christmas tradition was referenced in the carol by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." read more

Tired of people bashing Christmas traditions? Here's how to reclaim the rich meaning behind the symbols of the season.

By Peter Bertolero

I love to celebrate Christmas because I love the Christ of Christmas. Yet we live in a day when celebrating "Christ's mass" is frowned upon by the secularists, who want to excise Jesus from the holiday, and surprisingly, by some Christians who want to exorcize Christmas from the calendar.

You have no doubt heard some of these more popular "Bah! Humbug!" criticisms from sanctified scrooges:

Christ wasn't born in winter, let alone on December 25.

Christmas comes from an occult winter-solstice festival.

Evergreen trees and holly and mistletoe come from pagan

customs and therefore are "of the devil."

Sound familiar? Let's see if I can help those "Christ-massers" among you celebrate the birth of Christ in a deeper, more meaningful and festive way, without guilt or condemnation.

Have you ever heard of syncretism? It means mixing, blending or incorporating different belief systems and their practices. Christianity becomes guilty of syncretism when critical, basic elements of the Christian faith are undermined or replaced by the religious elements of its host culture or the world around it.

However, to denounce a Christian tradition or practice as rooted in paganism simply because a similar practice appears in ancient pagan rituals is tantamount to throwing the baby out with the bath water. Such logic cannot be maintained consistently in every matter of faith and practice. Logic of this sort would result in surrendering all God's creation to pagans and atheists—leaving nothing for Christians to use in worshiping the God who created all things for His pleasure (see Rev. 4:11).

Christianity is the "new kid on the block" as far as belief systems go, so almost anything we use to remember Christ has probably been used by older religions first, including the days of the week. John Ankerberg writes: "We would be hard-pressed to find a day to celebrate that did not have pagan roots. Every day of our week, indeed our entire calendar is 'pagan'!"

Jesus didn't use such logic when deciding what His family could and could not use in celebrating Jewish festivals, such as the Feast of Tabernacles. If He had, they would have had to go without branches or booths, since other, older religions used tree branches in their idolatrous rituals, as the prophet Ezekiel noted (see Ezek. 8:17).

"Anti-Christ-massers" couldn't apply their rationale to Old Testament Jewish worshipers either. Scholars have found archeological evidence that the Egyptians and Assyrians worshiped ark-like structures made of gold with cherubim atop them, such as the one used in Moses' tabernacle.

William Barclay, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, pointed out similarities between pagan rituals and the baptism of John, as well as pagan lore resembling the Virgin Birth. He also called attention to an ancient Greek tradition in which a miracle similar to Jesus' turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2) was allegedly performed by Dionysus once a year in his temple.

Even the bull-worshiping pagans of Mithraism incorporated the re-enacting of death and resurrection rituals. Should this, then, eliminate any possibility of Christians re-enacting the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus? read more

Christmas should be a time of awe and reverence. Our salvation, our blessing, our life and our hope were made possible because God took on human flesh in a manger in Bethlehem.

by the late Fuchsia Pickett

The shepherds saw a babe in a manger. The wise men, arriving later, also saw a young child. But the One who emerged from Mary's womb that cold winter night in Bethlehem of Judea was much more than what was discernable with human eyes.

He was God. The sacred record is clear: "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!'" (Luke 2:8-14).

It is as much a marvel today as it was 2,000 years ago: God the Father so approved of the One born that night in Bethlehem that He bid the angels to worship together—even though the second person of the Trinity wore a menial garb of swaddling clothes and had been laid on a bed of hay!

A Lasting Wonder

We can only approach the high and holy subject of Christ's incarnation with awe. His name is called "Wonderful" (Is. 9:6). The angels of God are commanded to worship Him (Heb. 1:6). The one born in Bethlehem's manger is Immanuel, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23), and the "Mighty God" (Is. 9:6).

In Jesus Christ, God was born, lived here in this world, died, rose again and ascended to heaven as the God-man, becoming the object of lasting wonder to all creation.

He is entirely unique. His birth has no precedent, and His existence has no analogy. Placing Him in a category cannot explain Him, neither will an example adequately illustrate Him.

The Scriptures reveal His person, yet they never present an exhaustive definition of Him. We are told, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16).

Moses' experience in the wilderness—when the angel appeared to him in the burning bush—is an Old Testament type of the presence of God indwelling the man, Christ Jesus. The Exodus account clearly speaks of the flame of fire being "in the midst" of the bush without consuming the bush itself (Ex. 3:2). This is seen by some as a foreshadowing of the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Christ.

Yet the wonder of an unconsumed bush burning with fire does not ultimately compare to the mystery of Jesus, as a man, being indwelt by the fullness of God. How is it possible that this one person could be infinite and finite, mortal and immortal, omnipotent and vulnerable?

It transcends all human understanding that two wills, two natures and two memories can constitute one person who is God in the flesh. We cannot explain how both natures, in all their attributes and acts, can grow together and unite in one whole being, acting in concert in one person. Yet God declares that it is so!

Christ, in becoming man, did not cease to be God. He did not lose His position or His divine attributes. Rather, He voluntarily set them aside to take on our humanity.

Yet the humanity of Christ was not destroyed or consumed by His deity; its own human characteristics were preserved. As Luke says, "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).

In the Incarnation, God in Christ Jesus established a personal union between Himself and a human spirit, soul and body. Theologian A.A. Hodge declares the union between these two natures is not mechanical, as it is between oxygen and nitrogen in our air; nor is it chemical, as it is between oxygen and hydrogen when water is formed; nor is it organic, as it is between our hearts and brains.

Rather, it is a union more intimate, more profound and more mysterious than any of these. It is personal. And, as Hodge points out, if we cannot understand the nature of the simpler unions, why should we complain because we cannot understand the nature of the most profound of all unions? read more

by the late Jamie Buckingham

I write this aboard a jet airliner speeding south from one of the nation's greatest northern cities. I am heading home for Christmas.

How eager I am to see the face of my wife, embrace my now-grown children who are gathering at the old homestead, grab my little grandchildren and swing them high as they squeal: "PaPa's home."

How eager I am to sit quietly with my dear friends, my extended family, to embrace and whisper "I love you" in the ears of those as committed to me as they are to their own blood relatives. We will embrace, take off our shoes, sit in front of a fire (sipping egg nog), and feel "at home" in each other's presence.

Home for Christmas! My oldest son will be driving through the night after finishing his work in the nation's capital—joining his family in Florida. Our youngest daughter will fight the mobs which throng the airports, winging in from college in middle-America.

In all of our efforts to get home for Christmas, we touch others—desperate, happy, lonely, cheerful—thronging crowded terminals, all trying to make that mystical deadline.

What is it on this day that so drives us to be among loved ones?

Busy businessmen forget about buying and selling, creating and convincging, to lounge around the house with the family. Things like trade agreements, real estate deals, marketing and sales—all take a back seat to important things like carving the turkey and opening inane but precious gifts under a tree.

Dignified college professors, their cheeks ruddy and hair blowing in the wind, race up and down sidewalks, laughing and shouting as they hold on to small children riding bikes with training wheels.

Ranchers and dairymen quickly finish morning chores so they can take off muddy boots and join laughing families at Christmas breakfasts.

Computer experts, physicians, engineers—(all intellectuals, all degreed and pedigreed) sit cross-legged under trees, waist-deep in wrapping paper, turned into little children—at least for the day.

Gangsters, tax evaders, liars, drunkards, adulterers, prostitutes, even members of the Mafia—all turn aside on this day to kneel at altars and shed a tear in a communion cup for a baby in a manger.

Home for Christmas! Broken-hearted parents sit and wait by the telephone, anxiously scan the mail, hoping memories of Christmas past will stir the heart of a runaway child and bring word of safety.

Runaway children, some young, some very old, walk city sidewalks, huddle in lonely motel rooms, sit and stare in drab apartments on this, the loneliest day of the year—yearning for some power so they can hurdle the wall of pride and reach out for home.

Soldiers in far-flung military outposts, wet and cold, sweaty and sticky, stand lonely watch around olive drab vehicles or shiver in isolated guardhouses at the gates—all dreaming of home.

Airman, cramped in the cockpits of flying cannons high in the darkened and silent skies on Christmas Eve, look upward for a star, then down over tilted wings at the winking lights below Misty-eyed, they dream of the touch of a mother's hand, the warmth of a father's chuckle, the squeals of little ones, cookies, candles and a choir singing "Silent Night." read more

Every couple of years, starting in 1984, I have encouraged Charisma readers—much as I am now with Ministry Today readers—to do what my wife, Joy, and I have done for years. And that is, give a tithe of what we spend at Christmas to the poor.

This was etched in my mind as a child when my parents asked my brother and sister and I to pick a gift from the many we'd received and give it to a family in our church that didn't have much. I don't remember details, but I think the dad was out of work. I can't remember what I gave. But I can remember going to their house to give them our gifts and how happy they seemed.

Christmas is about giving. It's when God gave His Son. And didn't the tradition of gift-giving originate with the Magi, who gave gifts to the Christ child?

Yet Christmas has become an orgy of consumer spending. Many retailers make most of their annual profit at Christmastime. Even as believers we tend to get caught up in the world's values of buying gifts. Usually our purchases are for loved ones who already probably have much more than they need.

The antidote, I believe, is to be proactive, to consciously give to the poor and to encourage others to do the same. When I first urged Charisma readers in 1984, and in many December issues since then, to give to worthwhile ministries at Christmas, it was because I believe that in giving to "the least of these My brethren," as Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, you're giving to Christ Himself.

A practical suggestion on how to do this is to give a tithe of what you spend on others. So if you spend $1,000 at Christmas on gifts, determine you'll give $100. My family does this. Over the years we've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of it through Christian Life Missions, our nonprofit partner. If every reader of Charisma and Ministry Today gave only $5, it would total more than $1 million this year.

As a way to focus attention on ministries you can bless this Christmas, and to make it easy to give, we have included this section that shows the ministries supported through Christian Life Missions, the nonprofit partner we've worked with for more than 25 years. Every penny you donate through Christian Life Missions will go to the ministry you choose. If you give through Christian Life Missions, your gift will be sent to the ministry and you will receive a receipt for income-tax purposes.

There are many other ministries or needs you can give to. It doesn't matter so much whom you give to, but that you do give and do it as unto the Lord. We believe it will make all the difference in the way you celebrate Christ's birth this year. Click here for more information on Christian Life Missions.

Also, starting Thursday, Dec. 8, be sure to visit the Ministry Today website for touching articles and features on Christmas as we focus on celebrating Christ's birth. read more

You don't want to miss the Ministry21/Ministry Today conference call next week with pastor, marriage expert and author Jimmy Evans. Join us for an hour of engaging conversation with the senior leader of 10,000-plus strong Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas, for the past 29 years on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. CDT, 2 p.m. MDT and 1 p.m. PDT.

Here is the call information: Dial-in number (712) 432-1001; access code: 467245262#. Listen in as we to talk to Jimmy about strengthening marriage, the theme of the November-December issue of Ministry Today, now available.

Jimmy is also the founder and CEO of Marriage Today, a ministry that is devoted to helping couples build strong and fulfilling marriages and families. You can read Jimmy's informative article about avoiding the traps of ministry marriages in the November-December issue of Ministry Today by clicking here.

You will want to get a copy of the magazine because the issue is full of good material by nationally respected leaders such as Dr. Doug Weiss, Gary Smalley, Dr. Tim Clinton, and Larry and Jonathan Stockstill—who were Ministry Today guest editors last year on the issue of "integrity." So there is plenty here to minister to you in your own brokenness, and to help heal those whom God has entrusted into your care as a leader.

Now is the perfect time to subscribe to Ministry Today—a great gift idea for Christmas. We're currently offering a special promotion that includes two free gifts—evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's "Full Flame" DVD series and the ESV (English Standard Version) Thinline Bible. Click here to subscribe to Ministry Today. read more

Check out some links below to recent stories from Charisma News that you'll find useful and informative. You can also sign up to receive stories on your smart phone by signing up for the free app Charisma News by clicking here.

Bishop Eddie Long Takes Leave of Absence

Study: Pastors Planning Christmas Day Services

Mobile Developer Offering Free Smartphone Apps for 1,000 Churches

Oxford Professor Mocks Evangelist's Spelling

GOP Contenders Vie for Herman Cain's Supporters read more

by Pastor Paul Bryan

What an exciting opportunity you and I have to embrace this Thanksgiving season with the right heart attitude.

Begin by thanking God for everything that you are and have. Thank Him for every breath you breathe in today, and practice the attitude of gratitude. Make a list of 100 of the people and/or things that you are thankful for, and give God your honor and worship. Make it a habit this week to let God know just how aware you are of His grace and mercy.

Muscles strengthen with use. Develop your gratitude muscle by being appreciative the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night before you go to bed for the next 21 days. The passage below is a significant key to living the abundant life that Jesus paid for. Saying "thank you," not only opens doors with God, His presence and abundance, but it works with people too. Life is too amazing and too short to only be grateful one day of the year.

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." —Ps. 100:4-5

Every day is a choice. You have to choose to be thankful. You choose whether or not you are going to take time out of your busy day and recognize where all of your blessing and salvation comes from. Thankfulness is an art form that must be disciplined and practiced in order for you to become a master of it. Ask Daddy God to open your eyes to all of the blessings in your life, so that you can give Him the praise and glory. I guarantee that if you master this right heart attitude, you will see positive lasting change in every area of your life.

Pray: Daddy God, baptize me with Your love. Destroy every work of darkness and bitterness in my life. Remove every barrier and hindrance that keeps me from hearing Your voice and being lead by Your Spirit. Eliminate the time wasters and opportunity thieves that have kept me from experiencing the abundant life You designed for me. Grant me the wisdom and the strength to make the necessary changes for my growth and success. Change my attitude to one of gratitude, and help me to express it in word and deed. In Jesus name, Amen.

You were created to live a life with the attitude of gratitude. Be the revival and transform your world. Jesus believes in you.

Paul Bryan is the senior pastor of Lighthouse Church in Deland, Fla. Check out his "21 Day Thankfulness Challenge" by clicking here. read more

Check out some links below to recent stories from Charisma News that you'll find useful and informative. You can also sign up to receive stories on your smart phone by signing up for the free app Charisma News by clicking here.

Texas Church Files Suit Against Election Law

Charismatic Controversy in Politics and the Media

Crystal Cathedral Still Expects Miracle Despite Bankruptcy Ruling

Military Chaplains May Suffer Deeper Emotional Wounds

Survey Pinpoints Root of Broken Families, Childhood Poverty read more

As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, it's good to remember that Thanksgiving is inextricably tied to our nation’s founding and its times of war, as well as its Christian heritage.

In 1777, the first official Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by the Continental Congress after the American victory in the Battle of Saratoga. The proclamation asked God to "... smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defense and establishment of our unalienable rights and liberties."

On Oct.3, 1789, eight years after the surrender of the British army at Yorktown, President George Washington issued a proclamation "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

President Washington assigned "... Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation."

It was President Abraham Lincoln who began issuing a proclamation in 1863 for a national day of thanksgiving, when it became the custom of U.S. presidents. During the Civil War, President Lincoln established a permanent observance by calling on the American people "... to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy). After a storm of protest, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today. It was 1941 when Thanksgiving became an official national holiday. Since then, every U.S. president has issued a proclamation calling for a national day of thanksgiving each November.

The photo image is a copy of a 1789 newspaper that published President George Washington's proclamation of the first official Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

Let us know your thoughts about presidential Thanksgiving proclamations by commenting below. read more

by R.T. Kendall

Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

—Ps. 106:47

God loves a grateful nation. Just as an individual cannot "out-thank" the Lord—for God pours out His blessing more than ever, so a nation cannot out-thank God either.

Just as those individuals who praised God on Palm Sunday possibly did so selfishly, even ignorantly and for the wrong reasons—and God accepted their praise, so God accepts the praise of a nation that attempts to show gratitude to Him. It does not necessarily matter that every single person who participates in such thanksgiving is a faithful servant of God in his or her private life; God just notices a nation overall that makes any attempt to show gratitude to Him.

If this message were to get through to heads of state, even if they are not themselves born again, I believe most of them would still want to lead the nation to show thanks—if only for what it would do for that nation. God inhabits the praise of people. If any nation were to show thanks to the true God—the One who sent His only Son into the world, that nation would be so much better off.

We should be continually thankful to God (and remember to tell Him so) for laws in the land that outlaw theft, murder, and other crimes; for medical people, for the police, for firemen. God's common grace preserves a measure of order in the world. However chaotic things may seem from time to time—whether through terrorism or natural disasters, the truth is that if God utterly withdrew His hand from the world, all hell would break loose and civilization as we know it would end overnight.

It is in the interest of any nation to show reverence to the God of the Bible.

You can read more and purchase R.T. Kendall's book, The Word and the Spirit, which this article is derived from, by clicking here.

R.T. Kendall was the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England, for 25 years. Born in Ashland, Ky., he was educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Oxford University. He is well known internationally as a speaker and teacher. He is the author of more than 40 books, including The Power of Humility, The Word and the Spirit, The Sensitivity of the Spirit, The Anointing, Just Say Thanks! and Total Forgiveness. read more

Check out some links below to recent stories from Charisma News that you'll find informative and useful. You can also sign up to receive stories on your smart phone by signing up for the free app Charisma News by clicking here.

Restored: Blaine Bartel Joins Gregory Dickow's Ministry Team

Francis Chan Encourages Liberty U Students to Stay Culturally Relevant

The Making of a Pentecostal President

Survey: Porn Poisoning Christian Homes

Man in the Mirror Launches Major Growth Initiative read more