Census, Cradles, and the Cross

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of...

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,...

Christmas Fear

“Do not be afraid.” Three times in Luke’s birth narrative an angel appears to people, and these are their first words. It’s understandable; I’d be freaked out if an angel appeared to me and started talking, especially if “the glory of the Lord shone round about them,” as it did with the Bethlehem shepherds....

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