Gospel.com Blog

Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

Christmas is over, but the holiday saw several new movies hit theaters. Past the Popcorn reports on this latest round of Christmas releases.

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It’s finally here! Christmas Day—one of the few days of the year that the shopping malls stand empty and the roads and highways are (relatively) quiet.

Christmas is different than every other day of the year, and no matter how commercialized the holiday seems to get, when December 25 actually arrives, it puts a temporary hush on even the busiest, most hectic lifestyle. Much of the world may not believe in Jesus Christ or the miraculous birth that Christmas celebrates, but still the holy invitation to know peace and joy filters through even the most materialistic culture.

This Christmas, do you know peace and joy? The peace that Christ offers runs much deeper than the thrill of getting a few extra days off of work for the holidays, or the fun of Christmas parties and family get-togethers. The world slows down and scrabbles for a bit of that peace every year on December 25, but the peace of Jesus is something you can experience every day of the year, even long after the presents are forgotten and the Christmas trees hauled off.

Maybe you’re looking for a peace of heart that persists beyond December 25. Or maybe you’ve looked around at your life and not found much to by joyful about this Christmas. This Christmas, take a step toward lasting peace—read the original story of Christmas, familiar as it may be; read about the baby born on this day thousands of years ago, and think about what it all means for you today.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve spent the last month working frantically to wrap up work and business before the year’s end, or if you’ve spent every day of December in quiet spiritual meditation. Today is a day to celebrate, to ponder the birth of Christ, and to rejoice at the good news his birth proclaims. From everyone here at Gospel.com, we wish you a blessed Christmas Day. May the peace and joy of Christ touch your heart, no matter how clean or ugly your life feels. Today,

“the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.” —Matthew 4:16

Say “Christmas Eve” to me and I think meatballs. Mounds of delicious Swedish meatballs.

I also think of this hazy peaceful feeling that seems to crop up only on Christmas Eve, possibly due to the aforementioned meatballs. And then there’s singing Christmas carols in church whilst holding candles (all while failing to avoid the hot wax that has never been stopped by those silly little paper circle dresses).

Oh, and goodwill. I feel lots of goodwill on Christmas Eve.
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Here are a few Christmas articles and resources for you on this last Friday before Christmas.

First, two articles from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries:

The Silence of Christmas by Ravi Zacharias begins with a look on how perceptions of Christmas have changed in the United States.

The Mission of Christmas is a Christmas reflection by Betsy Childs

And from Winning at Home with Dan Seaborn:

An article about giving gifts like time and affection titled, Giving what you Can’t Wrap.

Family at Home is an article about difficult family relationships and how Christmas often exacerbates tensions.

A fun movie from Youth Ministry Exchange:

This video shows 100 Crying Children with Santa in ten minutes. They’ve prepared this as a free resource. Check out the link for more information.

John 3:16, “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.”

A lot of Gospel.com ministries work (or are based) in countries outside the U.S. Christmas in different parts of the world can look quite different than the tree-and-presents American version. Here are some Christmas resources that offer a slightly different take on this familiar holiday.

• What is Christmas like for Christians in Egypt? Arab World Ministries has an account of one Egyptian family’s Christmas that highlights some of the unique aspects of Christmas in the Arab world. Elsewhere on the same site is another good article about what Christmas means to Muslims—useful info for anybody involved in ministry to Muslims, or for somebody who’s just curious what Islam makes of this Jesus-focused holiday.
• The Pefeccionando a Los Santos de América Latin ministry works with local churches, missionary organizations, and institutions of higher learning in Latin America. They’ve put together an article that shows us a glimpse of what Christmas looks like in Mexico. Although Christmas traditions from the U.S. are influencing Mexican Christmas celebrations, there’s a lot of unique elements in the Mexican observation of Christmas that any Christian will find interesting.
• This third item is from the U.S., but offers a Christmas reflection from a part of the country that’s been radically changed by a natural disaster: it’s a short story about Christmas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Still looking for last minute meaningful gifts for your family? Mission Network News reports on a new filtration system from International Aid that can filter 75 gallons of water a day for a family for only $32. You can read the full write up here.

The lightweight plastic HydrAidTM filter is designed to be easily transported in rough and remote terrain without risk of breaking. It is a non-electric device with no moving or replacement parts and can provide clean, safe water at the rapid rate of 47 liters per hour– meeting all of a family’s water needs, including drinking, bathing and washing clothes.
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International Aid wants to get believers actively involved in the “One filter, One family” campaign. The ministry team believes that Christians must respond actively to the Biblical commands requiring followers of Christ to offer “the least of these” a cup of water and with it, the message of hope.

Matthew 10:40-42

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes someone known to be a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes someone known to be righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is known to be my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly be rewarded.”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has been doing a series called The King’s Dedication on her radio show Revive our Hearts that focuses on two often forgotten individuals in Christ’s life.

Simeon and Anna, who–I’ll admit–I was a bit hazy on, meet Jesus at the time of his purification. And after rereading the passage where we get to meet them, I have developed a new appreciation for their seemingly tireless devotion.

Advent is a season of contemplative expectation. We’re waiting to celebrate the birth of our savior, and this waiting was what Simeon and Anna had been doing their entire lives. So, when, for example, Simeon saw his savior it brought him such an all-consuming joy that it’s no wonder he burst into poetic prayer. From Luke 2:29-32:

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.

You can read both their accounts in Luke 2:25-40. We featured this series yesterday, but another one of our community members, Back to the Bible, have perspectives on Jesus from the points of view of Simeon and Anna that are worth your time as well.

Need help getting into the holiday spirit this Christmas? If you’re looking for a little Christmas insight, take a look at these holiday essays and articles from various Gospel.com community ministries—they’re online Christmas classics that are freshly relevant each time the holidays roll around:

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Forget the ten lords-a-leaping and five golden rings—this Christmas, listen to the twelve voices of Christmas! The Twelve Voices of Christmas is an audio drama that tells the story of the first Christmas from twelve different perspectives, from the angel Gabriel to the tyrant Herod to the Wise Men. You can listen to each story in MP3 format, or read a text transcript.

Twelve Voices was written by Woodrow Kroll of Back to the Bible. If you enjoy this Christmas drama, be sure to also tune in to his daily Back to the Bible radio program, where he and co-host Tami Weissert delve into a different Bible study topic each day of the week.

For many churches, Christmas worship services are marked by special music, and that means there are lots of opportunities for members of the congregation to contribute their musical talents to the service. If you’re helping out with worship music this Christmas—whether you’re singing in a choir, playing an instrument in a brass ensemble, or playing in a worship band—the Farsipraise ministry has some good guides to using your musical talents well. They have practical advice for musicians playing the electric guitar, bass, brass, and more. Other essays address topics like using Gregorian chant in your service and teaching new songs to the congregation, both of which are relevant this time of year. If you find these useful, see their many other articles about music and worship.