Each Sunday of Advent a new candle is lighted to mark time. The third candle is rose or pink, which is meant to remind us to rejoice. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, all four candles are lit. Then, on Christmas Eve the Christ Candle is lit along with all four Advent candles. The Christ Candle represents the light that the Son brought into the world when he was born a little baby, God in the flesh.

​The miracle of Christmas is that God is gracious. His grace carries us and breathes life into the deepest part of our wayward hearts. His grace extends His love and we are changed. Jesus has come and we celebrate His coming.

​Before we dive into the numerous verses that talk about joy, we have to establish an understanding of biblical joy. It goes far beyond momentary happiness. Like the happiness a child might experience when they unwrap a gift that they’d hoped for on Christmas day. It is an extreme happiness that cannot be deterred by present circumstances.

You likely already know the Hebrew word for peace: shalom. The word shalom occurs over 250 times in the Old Testament and over the centuries religious scholars have spilled plenty of ink reflecting on its complex meaning and use. Today, the term shalom has become so commonplace that people often use it interchangeably with the English word peace: on protest signs, in sitcom banter, or even on swanky home decor (e.g., “Shalom y’all!”).

This is the first week in the Advent Season - the countdown to Christmas – and the ‘theme’ is Hope. But what does the word actually mean? To truly understand the concept of hope – a word that can be a noun AND a verb and can be a state of being AND a state of mind – it all comes down to context.

Does God have a body and will we in the next life?

Shepherding was as common a job in Biblical times as working in retail is today in America. Sheep are mentioned over 500 times in Scripture and the relationship between them and their shepherd was used often by Jesus to convey a truth. It was a bond that was generally understood then – not so much now.

Can the message of the Gospel hold its own in the global marketplace? Technology has closed the distance between human beings and has exposed a pluralism with respect to the origin, purpose and meaning of life. For our belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to not only hold its own, but thrive, it must answer one fundamental question to the satisfaction of the inquirer: Why do you claim Christianity to be the only way to reconcile humanity with God our creator?”

This week will prove to be a very busy one, running the gamut of mandatory events that will challenge the effectiveness of social distancing – voting in person, a much-delayed funeral and a very anticipated wedding. We will return to the ‘is the Christian faith reasonable?’ line of questioning next week after a quick note on one of those ‘can you explain this?’ specific questions: where did Cain’s wife come from? 

If you read the last blog post, the answer to question #1 is: YES, Jesus ACTUALLY died. If you still have doubts about that, the next question is irrelevant to you. You are absolutely, no-kidding, no wiggle room gonna hafta establish in your mind THAT truth before you can grab the reality in the answer to the second question: Did Jesus ACTUALLY rise from the dead?

Who is Jesus? Down through history, people have been challenged to answer this basic question. The first Gospel of the Bible records Jesus asking this question for the very first time. Matthew 16:13-17 “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

In the course of human history, no life has been as thoroughly examined as that of Jesus of Nazareth. A good standard by which to measure this intense interest is Encyclopedia Britannica, which uses over 20,000 words to describe the life of Jesus, far outweighing articles on the lives of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Aristotle or Galileo.  It is no wonder that more theories have been concocted about Jesus Christ than any other person in history, including John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley combined!  Added to this, the last century saw the rise of a scholarly movement that seeks to unveil the so-called ‘historical Jesus’ as if this is somehow different from the biblical Jesus. A person could be easily forgiven for crying out: “Would the real Jesus please stand up?”  Who is the real Jesus?

Every generation has had an accepted belief that miracles do indeed happen and 82% of Americans (with similar percentages worldwide) believe in the possibility.  Resistance to the concept of the miraculous comes mainly from scientific and scholarly circles. As modern science is based on naturalism, all events, past and present, can be explained in terms of natural forces operating in the world, it leaves no room for the supernatural or for the God of the Bible.

The problem of evil in the world can be a stumbling block for some people, a hindrance to faith in Christ. The question goes like this: “if God is a God of love, then why is there evil and suffering in the world?” This is not an insignificant question and it hinders many people from a biblical understanding of God and an acceptance of His plan for their lives. Unlike other questions people ask believers, this is not just a theoretical one. It is an intensely personal one and it has everything to do with the way we view ourselves in relation to God.

Up until the time of Galileo, there was harmony between the church and the scientific community. Galileo’s trial for heresy and condemnation by the Catholic Church began the rift between the philosophy of science called naturalism (everything in the universe can be explained by natural causes) and the philosophy of Scripture (everything in the universe was created by God).

We live in a time where the very words we speak are recorded in videos, emails, texts, tweets, posts, blogs, letters, court documents, et cetera, et cetera. Public personalities are defending things they said years ago…

Jesus Christ is never quoted as saying, “I am God.” It takes spiritual revelation that comes from relationship to know it as a truth. Since He is the combination of both God and man, it is our relationship with Him that truly gives us an understanding that we can comprehend of the nature of our Creator. The bible never defends the existence of God. It just states it as a matter of fact.

Few people reject the Gospel because they know the Gospel. Most reject it because they think they know it. Many accusations leveled at the Christian faith are based on misconceptions of the Gospel. Here are just a few