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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
December 19, 2023

It’s a Christmas Miracle

Christmas is truly one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it—the classic music, the festive decorations, the delicious treats, the parties, the presents, and of course, the movies. There are a handful of Christmas movies that really are some of my top movies of all time, but my family refuses to watch anything remotely Christmas-y outside of that month or so between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so we always have to cram them all in before the holiday season is over.

One reason why I (and probably many others) love Christmas movies is that they feel so comforting and nostalgic to watch, and I think that’s often because they use tropes that we all know and love, like Santa actually being a real person, Christmas being in danger and in need of saving, the importance of family, the grump who has a heart change, and the couple who falls in love over the holidays (even if they hated each other in the beginning). One trope that appears in a lot of Christmas movies is the Christmas Miracle.

The Christmas Miracle trope usually pops up near the end of the movie at a point when everything seems lost, and then by some sudden stroke of Christmas magic, a miracle occurs and all is saved or made right. In Home Alone, Kevin is about to be tortured by Harry and Marv, but then his not-so-scary neighbor rescues him, the cops show up to arrest the Wet Bandits, and Kevin’s mom finally makes it home on Christmas Day. In Elf, Santa and Buddy are about to be caught by the Central Park Rangers, but then Jovie is able to inspire enough people to sing and have Christmas spirit so that Santa’s sleigh can fly. And in your average Hallmark movie, there is always some way for the big city character to save the failing small-town Christmas cookie store, Christmas tree farm, or some other Christmas-themed business.

But I believe the best example of a Christmas miracle is not found in a movie or book but in the small city of Nazareth around two thousand years ago.

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In Blog, Jesus, Theology on
December 5, 2023

Jesus Came For Everybody

One of my favorite animated movies of all time is the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. With its stunning scenery, iconic music, and a princess who dons a pink gown, it’s been a beloved movie of mine since childhood. In the opening scene, royalty, powerful fairies, and other important people in the kingdom are ushered into the palace to celebrate the birth and christening of Princess Aurora. And as we all know, things go awry when an uninvited evil fairy shows up to the celebration.

While Sleeping Beauty is a fictional fairy tale, the pomp and circumstance of this beginning scene is likely what we imagine when a new baby is born to a member of royalty or influence. Sure, we may not necessarily expect waving banners or hailing the new child in song, but we do expect the family to be surrounded by powerful and important friends and allies as they welcome their newborn progeny.

However, when the King of the universe came down to earth and was born in human flesh, there was no pomp and circumstance. Banners weren’t waved, and the newborn Son was not serenaded by a little drummer boy, despite what the song says. The little family was visited by two different groups of people during Jesus’ infanthood, but they were not exactly the types of people you might expect to show up for such an occasion.

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Spiritual Disciplines on
November 21, 2023

Memorizing Scripture

I’ve always been a competitive person, even as a child. I always wanted to win. I always wanted to be the best. And this manifested itself in many areas of my life—in my schoolwork, in playing games with family and friends, and in memorizing Scripture.

I grew up going to church every Sunday, and our children’s ministry did weekly Scripture memory challenges. There was a different verse each week, and if you recited the verse to your Sunday School teacher, you could pick a small candy or prize from a treasure box. Then, if you recited a certain number of verses throughout the year, you could win a special trophy to commemorate the achievement. Like I said, I was a competitive child who was very reward-motivated, so I did my best to memorize as many Bible verses as I possibly could so I could get a lot of treasure box prizes and eventually earn a nice, big trophy at the end of the year (and I succeeded at this for multiple years).

While I am thankful to have gone to a church that prioritized children learning and memorizing Scripture (there are some verses I memorized as a child that I can still remember today!), I’m afraid this method of rewarding the quantity of verses recited gave me and likely many other children the wrong impression of the purpose of Scripture memorization. As Glenna Marshall writes in her new book, memorizing Scripture is about more than information or recitation—

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In 1 Samuel, Bible Study, Blog on
November 7, 2023

Divine Regret

Have you ever been reading the Bible and come across something that appears to contradict what it says elsewhere? Have you ever discovered a verse that seems completely antithetical to what you’ve been taught by pastors and other teachers at your church?

This is not all that uncommon. There are many areas of Scripture that can be confusing and may seem at first glance to be in direct opposition of other Scripture passages. One particular place is 1 Samuel 15, where God declares that he regrets making Saul king.

But is it truly possible for God to regret something? After all, isn’t He all-knowing? Isn’t He sovereign over everything that happens in the universe? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that God can never change?

To answer these questions and gain clarity on the real meaning of 1 Samuel 15, we must examine the biblical context.

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In Biblical Theology, Blog, Theology on
October 23, 2023

Pierced for Our Transgressions

Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that hurt the most. Brushing a hand along a page and getting a paper cut, feeling its sting whenever you flex your finger. Grabbing onto a piece of wood only for it to give you a splinter, leaving you sore and swollen with the possibility of infection. Hearing an unkind word from a friend that ruins your day or perhaps even ruins that relationship.

Reaching for a beautiful rose to only be pricked by a thorn.

These are all little things, but they all can leave us in significant pain, whether physical or emotional. When Adam and Eve took a bite of that forbidden fruit in the Garden, it probably seemed like such a small thing to them. After all, it was just a piece of fruit. It appeared to be delicious, something that would appease both their physical hunger and their thirst for knowledge. But their seemingly small act of disobedience brought the Fall, affecting the entire world and everything in it.

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