Presence, Not Presents

  Larry L. Eubanks, First Baptist Church, Frederick, Maryland, December 4, 2016 Today is the second Sunday in Advent, and the second in my Advent message series, A Cinematic Christmas, where we are looking at the biblical themes of the birth of Christ through the lens of some popular Christmas movies....

If Jesus Hadn’t Been Born

Larry L. Eubanks, First Baptist Church, Frederick, Maryland, November 27, 2016 In the modern age, Christmas movies and TV shows are as much a part of Christmas as Christmas trees and Christmas carols. When I was growing up, my brothers and I would carefully scan the TV guide every week to make sure we...

Advent Waiting

Waiting always has a future tense. Something is going to happen, but not yet. Without this sense of something approaching there is no waiting. The thing that is on the way could be bad; this kind of waiting is called dread. When my brothers and I were acting up and wouldn’t listen to Mom she would say,...

The Birth Narratives Don’t Prove a Thing

One of the things that I frequently encounter as a teacher of the Bible is that people believe the birth narratives of Jesus, particularly the miraculous parts of them, prove his divinity. That is so typical of us Moderns, with our need to have our beliefs based on provable facts. The truth is, however,...

The Incarnation Is Really Unrealistic

The incarnation of Christ isn’t very realistic. Certain details in the Christmas story, for instance: Angels appearing in dreams. Angels appearing in person. A star hovering over one little house in one tiny village. An infertile older woman getting pregnant. A young virgin getting pregnant. God becoming a...

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