One More Thing

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend's here and there are a couple of things I want to share with you:

The Weekend

This weekend's passage is filled with contrasts intended to make a point. One of those is the contrast between the pagan Magi who follow a star they they can worship Jesus and the religious leaders who know the Word of God but remain in Jerusalem. This contrast is has some powerful applications for us as parents and spiritual influencers that we'll explore.

FYI

Jason Stubblefield on "Should Children Make Up Their Own Minds About Religion?

The question, then, isn’t whether kids are free to make up their own minds about religion with independent objectivity. Rather, the question is which tradition of rationality is shaping children’s reasoning.

One More Thing

Making great memories for our kids is, in my opinion, a sacred obligation for parents, and it's one of the best ways passing on our spiritual legacy. So hat's off to the Journeymen ministry and the memories they helped so many families make today at the Manger Build event.

10 Tweets

Here is Tim's sermon in 10 tweets, The Most Scandalous, Mysterious, Barbaric, Controversial Christmas Series, “The Angels & the Shepherds”

1/ The angels and the shepherds together are a scandalous contradiction. It's the glory of heaven running into the manure in the field.

2/ God speaks good news, and we need to hear it from scripture and from each other.

3/ "God doesn't just do things; he also says things, and we need to know what he says so that we can believe in what he has done." - Phil Ryken

4/ "Aren't you going to introduce me?" Thankfully, the angel knew who he was introducing.

5/ The baby in Bethlehem wasn't just a savior. He was a savior who was the promised king, and God himself - a savior who could truly save.

6/ The sign wasn't the 10,000 angels that were about to light up the sky. The sign was the baby!

7/ At the center of Christianity are the facts of real events with real people. A baby was born, he lived a sinless life, he taught, performed miracles, and was crucified, then rose from the dead.

8/ Don't make the mistake of just assuming the gospel accounts aren't true. But also don't make the mistake of just assuming they are true.

9/ The image of the glorious angels and the humble shepherds point us to a glorious God, who became a humble man, a servant.

10/ The same scene reminds us that God, in his glory, accepts sinners like us, in our filth, because of Jesus.