For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.                                                                               John 3:16

Here it is. Christmas Eve, 2025. This is a most anticipated evening for so many little boys and girls, and even for us bigger boys and girls. The majesty of God brought to earth in the person of Jesus. We have celebrated this event for centuries, even though the celebration has changed over those centuries.

The basic story has not changed. God so loved the world that he sent his Son to earth to reconcile us to the God of the universe. In doing so, he sent that son as a helpless child to a helpless population. His love for us reached to that extent.

So today, as we celebrate that marvelous event, let’s show to the world that we can have joy and peace, even in the midst of chaos and division. The world is as broken as ever, but God’s love is as sustaining as ever.

Let us welcome the Son into this world again, and let’s celebrate his freeing presence!

Merry Christmas!

Prayer: Lord, we are so grateful for the gift of Jesus who is the hope of the world, Amen

“In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past, bridge to our future.”                                                                                                                                        Alex Haley

I often tell my clients that it is helpful to write out our “story”. We each have a unique story, all of which have great merit. That story is good for each of us to recall and record, not only for us but for those who come after us. For many millennia, stories have been passed down by oral tradition. The problem with oral traditions is that they get slightly altered over the generations.

Written stories carry the accuracy of the writer so far as their own memory allows. Indeed, our memories are colored perhaps more than we are aware. We add or subtract or slightly alter the details based upon our perceptions at the time. Still, we can get a better picture of the situations as we record them in writing.  

All this to say that I have been recalling some past Christmases- even back to when I was maybe six years old. Like when my uncle Bob was Santa Claus. I think somehow, I knew it was uncle Bob, but I didn’t want to ruin the illusion for either of us. I wanted to believe, and I am sure he wanted me to believe!

Then there were those Christmases where Santa just always happened to show up on Christmas Eve when I was taking a bath. Just missed him!

There were those wonderful Christmas Days when I was an adult and my parents were still alive. We had a houseful of people, gathered around a table laden with food. Friends and relatives crammed into our little house on Mayfair Ave. in Cheviot, Ohio (a small Cincinnati suburb). The spirit of love was in the air.

Well, there were so many other Christmas memories. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve when I sang in the choir and we sang those wonderful Christmas carols and hymns. The little nook in the living room where we set up the live tree. The ancient manger set handmade by my grandfather (or maybe his grandfather, I was never sure).

Finally, there were those more recent Christmases where my wife and kids and grandkids all went to the late-night service at church where we gathered with hundreds of others and sang Silent Night in candlelight to end the service.

So, my friends, recall your great Christmas memories, and consider writing them down. It is an enjoyable mental trip…

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.                                                                              Isaiah 53:1-3

Just a quick thought in this Christmas season. The earliest groups to become aware of the presence of Jesus on earth were shepherds and foreign astrologers. Yes, those wise men (probably more than three) had been made aware of the prophecy of his coming centuries before the birth of Jesus. These were Zoroastrian star gazers and seers who were on their own quest to seek truth.

So, the religious folks of the time missed the prophecy that the wise men from the far east followed. Foreigners and outcasts were the first to really pay attention to the Savior sent to reconcile heaven and earth.

Something to keep in mind during this beautiful season. The paradox of God’s plan has always amazed and gratified me. What a wonderful season!

Prayer: What an example of your powerful message, Lord. Unexpected people are seeking him always, Amen

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.  Alas!  How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!  It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.

There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.  We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.  The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.  Not believe in Santa Claus!  You might as well not believe in fairies!  You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?  Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.  The most real things in the world are those that no children or men can see.  Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn?  Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there.  Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen or unseeable in the world……

No Santa Claus!  Thank God he lives, and he lives forever.  A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Francis Church (1897 editorial from the New York Sun)

Santa’s role in Christmas is controversial. There are those who say that the emphasis on Santa Claus detracts from the real meaning of Christmas. There are those who say that Santa Claus, a derivative figure of Saint Nicholas, is a charming personification of a benevolent giver.

There are those who say that having children believe in a mythical figure, only later to discover that he is not real, is a disservice to children.  Others counter that the concept of a loving and giving figure is a wholesome construct that children can learn from as a symbol of giving to others.

So, who would have thought that Santa Claus could be such a controversial figure?  Well, I can see Santa from both sides. As a cultural icon whom people can have fond feelings for, he fills the bill. As a mythical figure who must eventually disappoint children, well, he is a failure.

I think the idea of Santa is more appealing to adults than children. Parents want to have a way to make their children feel good and loved during the Christmas season. It harkens back to their own youth and wonderful, romantic and magical memories of an idyllic Christmas past.

The wonder of Santa Claus is indeed a look into a romanticized past. Adults enjoy Santa for years. Kids? Well after about age 8 or so, Santa is not a thing. I have no problem with letting children have a way of fantasizing an idyllic time during Christmas. Yes, it is incumbent upon parents to tell the real story of Christmas to their children. Jesus, after all, is “the reason for the season”. However, if kids want a little fantasy – as adults still do- I say let it be.

Prayer: Lord, we are grateful for the true reason for the season- the birth of Jesus and his incarnation, Amen

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.                              Genesis 1:12

I am reading a fascinating book titled, Sea of Grass. It is a story of the vast prairie land of the middle United States. It discusses the fragility of the American prairie, and how it has changed over the past two centuries. It is a tale of scientific wonder, the sad destruction of a natural resource, and in my opinion, a description of the delicate balance of nature that God bestows on us.

The matter of inches is the depth of the precious topsoil of that prairie, now plowed and cultivated. That top 5-10 inches of earth is the topsoil that feeds much of the world with its corn, wheat, rye, and other grains.

The book describes how artificial fertilizers have been both a source of life for millions, and a source of destruction downstream at the mouth of the Mississippi River where a dead zone of algae blooms depletes the oxygen of the Gulf waters. It is the runoff of many agricultural watersheds which have dumped concentrated, Nitrogen rich fertilizers into rivers feeding the Mississippi..

I was struck by the fragility of those 5-10 inches of topsoil. During the terrible Dust Bowl days in the 1930’s, millions of acres of topsoil were literally blown away, covering a space reaching to the Atlantic Ocean.

We have learned many lessons since then, and land management is orders of magnitude better since then. But life on this beautiful planet is at the same time, amazingly hardy, and frighteningly fragile.  

What a bountiful legacy we have been given to preserve!

Prayer: Lord, what an amazing gift you have given to us, Amen.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves                                                                                                                                        Philippians 2:3

I recently had a discussion with a client about a man she was seeing, and she had some questions about the relationship. We discussed the differences in their temperament and their personal habits. Indeed, they have quite different temperaments, but such differences are not the key issues to be considered in relationships. Certainly, understanding temperament differences is important. Often, contrasting temperaments can be a source of attraction. Introverts are attracted to extroverts, and vice versa. The old saying of opposites attract is very often true.

Character, on the other hand is an essential determinant of a good, strong relationship. A person of character has recognized their own strengths and weaknesses and have embraced them. They are open to learning, and they value others in the relationship. When they are in a relationship, they seek the welfare of their partner.  More importantly, they recognize their dependence on God and his provision for their life. They are grateful for what they have, and do not seek to blame others for their own problems or mistakes.

Of course, this is just a thumbnail sketch of character, but it is a start to recognizing important traits that make relationships work.

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize the importance of character in relationships, Amen

Enjoy this reprint of my blog. As we approach Christmas season, I love to retell this story…

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God                                                                        Micah 6:8

This is a story that is an addition and expansion of the account of the three wise men recounted in the book of Matthew. It tells about a “fourth” wise man, a priest of the Magi named Artaban, one of the Medes from Persia.

 Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King had been born among the Jews. Like them, he sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child – a sapphire, a ruby, and a “pearl of great price”. However, he stops along the way to help a dying man, which makes him late to meet with the caravan of the other three wise men. Because he missed the caravan, and he can’t cross the desert with only a horse, he is forced to sell one of his treasures in order to buy the camels and supplies necessary for the trip. He then commences his journey but arrives in Bethlehem too late to see the child, whose parents have fled to Egypt to escape the plot of Herod to kill the possible rival King.  He saves the life of a child at the price of another of his treasures.

Artaban then travels to Egypt and to many other countries, searching for Jesus for many years and performing acts of charity along the way. After 33 years, Artaban is still a pilgrim, and a seeker after light. Artaban arrives in Jerusalem just in time for the crucifixion of Jesus. He spends his last treasure, the pearl, to ransom a young woman from being sold into slavery. He is then struck in the head by a falling roof tile and is about to die, having failed in his quest to find Jesus, but having done much good through charitable works. A voice tells him “Verily I say unto thee, inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40). He dies in a calm radiance of wonder and joy. His treasures were accepted, and the Other Wise Man found his King.

From a short novel by Henry van Dyke

I always loved this story, because of its beauty, and also because of the truth it explains. The fourth wise man went about his life seeking to fulfill his mission- to find and to honor Jesus. All through his life, he believed that he had failed in the mission because he could never deliver his precious gifts to Jesus. Of course, he had been serving out his mission the whole time. He had been serving Jesus by serving other people. That IS the mission.

So, I think often we miss the fact that our lives have great meaning and purpose to the extent that we humbly serve others. Nurturing mothers and fathers are serving out their calling by caring for their children as best they can. Teachers are serving out their calling by dedicating themselves to the betterment of their students. Medical personnel are doing healing work. First responders are saving lives, often at the expense of their own.

On and on. You fill in the blank of how you are serving and playing out your mission. Is there more for you? Do you feel that there are things that you still must do?

Good. We never stop living out that mission. We never “retire” from our calling. If you have somehow decided that you have nothing more to give, think again. We need to LIVE until we die, not exist until we die. If there is that one more thing that is in front of you, pursue it. Because that might be the voice of God prompting you to seize that moment with your set of skills and passion to impact another.

Prayer: Thank you for the plan of mission, of significance, of honoring you with our life, Amen.

Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart Proverbs 3:3

We have been slowly losing the virtue of civility in American society. Clearly, we are not seeing it in the highest elective offices in the country. I worry about the deep cultural changes that have speeded up the loss of this important virtue. In the past we had seen civility modeled by our leaders, but now, anger and retribution have replaced civility, compassion and empathy.

I even look for civility in little actions-like taking an extra few steps to put the shopping cart in the cart corral at the grocery store. Maybe it is just taking the trash in your hand and depositing it in a garbage can rather than littering.

Little actions build upon themselves, and they help us to define who we are. If we act like a kind, caring person to our fellow community members, we begin to see ourselves as that way, and it starts a strong, upward cycle which reinforces itself.

On a little larger scale, it may be showing tip generosity to restaurant servers, volunteering at a church or service organization, or donating blood at the local Red Cross or blood center. These are just some examples of civic and social responsibilities that one might expect of their fellow citizens which make life a little better for all.

We are, perhaps, the most educated society in the world. Higher education is available to almost all in our society, yet education is not the answer to civility.  Education does not ensure that virtue is inculcated into our daily life. That is the province of families who love their children and teach them to love others. Teaching those values and virtues is critical in maintaining a society that can sustain itself, and indeed to touch positively the more vulnerable members of that society.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be aware of ways to show kindness and civility to others, Amen

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. At about that time some astrologers from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in far-off eastern lands and have come to worship him.”                             Matthew 2:1-2

I have been looking at the clear night sky lately, and the stars and planets have been especially brilliant. The one advantage of winter is the clarity of the sky due to the cold temperatures and relative lack of clouds and haze. I was really taken aback the other evening with the brightness of Jupiter. Venus, the morning star is similarly brilliant.

Then I happened to hear a podcast which discussed a possible explanation of the Christmas star. That same star the Magi were tracking when they sought the newborn ruler whom they believe the star portended.

The theory put forth by this scholar was that on the morning of April 17, in 6 B.C. an unusual alignment of the planet Jupiter, rising early in the morning, before sunrise in the eastern sky, caused the Magi to follow this omen. Since it arose in the astrological house of Aries, it caused them to believe that this omen meant that a significant king would be born in Judea. Judea evidently was associated with the astrological house of Aries.

It is interesting to note that these Magi were astrologers from perhaps Mesopotamia or Babylonia. They were skilled in the arts of astrology, and when they determined that this new king would be born in Judea, they headed to Jerusalem to inquire of the current king about this amazing birth.

Jews were prohibited from practicing the astrological arts, so Herod, and the other Jewish inhabitants were unaware of the significance that the pagan world associated with this sign. Of course, Herod wanted to hear about a king who might supplant him. Herod wanted names and addresses so that he could destroy this usurper king!

The mind-blower for me was that on December 19 of that year, Jupiter seemed to stand still in the sky. It shone brightly because of a confluence with the moon, and it seemed to just stand still. There is a technological reason for this phenomenon- Jupiter did not stand still. However, it appeared to stand still relative to the position of the earth in its course around the sun relative to Jupiter at that point.

Now this theory is just that- a theory. However, it does have some scientific backing and it could have been an explanation of the Christmas star followed by those wise men from the east.

Whether this theory flies or not, there are some interesting aspects to it. The Judeans would have been clueless about the astrological significance of this momentous event, but the rest of the world may have seen something that the Jews of the time did not.

A new King was being born.

Prayer: Lord, you give us wonderful gifts that we sometimes fail to see, Amen

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven                  Matthew 6:10 (New Living Translation)

…he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.                                                                       Ephesians 1:9-10 (NIV)

Christmas is the season we celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus. Incarnation is a fancy word for “in the flesh”. The plan that God has is for his glory and character to be transferred from heaven to earth. In order to do that, he sent his son to earth to literally bring heaven to earth.

We earthlings have not done such a great job of manifesting God’s heavenly glory and character here on earth. Yet, we are called as Christians to do that very thing- against all odds. We are to mirror those character qualities to others, to demonstrate the plan that God has.

In times past, some zealous Christians decided to forcefully bring people into the Kingdom of God by spreading the message of Jesus to colonized peoples. Others simply walled themselves off from those who were not “believers”, and practiced “separation” from the world. Still others would try to legislate conversion to Christianity by making the “religion of the king the religion of the people.” Hence, the 30 Years War in Europe, and the aftermath of divided people groups. We are well aware that the simple, even audacious, plan of bringing heaven to earth, has been made complex and contentious.

At this season of Christmas, let’s again think of the very basic reason that Jesus came to earth- to reconcile a broken people into the glory of heaven that God has intended all along.

Prayer: On earth as it is in heaven…Amen