There are a great many things that I love about the winter months. While I don’t enjoy being cold, I do enjoy dressing in layers and I am particularly fond of stocking hats, puffer vests, and sweaters of all kinds, but especially of the Christmas variety. I enjoy sitting under blankets watching movies and shows with the fam. And, while we have not been blessed with much of it in recent years, I...
Do you remember doing connect-the-dots puzzles when you were a kid? I remember doing several throughout my scholastic career. In early education, they are often used to help children learn to count. And in later years, they are sure signs that you have a substitute or the teacher doesn’t have a plan of action for the day. Whatever that rationale, I always loved doing them, particularly the more...
On Good Friday, April 19, 2019, our church choir presented an Easter cantata. Following the performance, as I was congratulating our worship pastor, Nathan Parker, I mentioned that it would be cool if we could find a musical that would allow us to utilize both the choir and the worship team in the future. Without missing a beat, Nathan looked at me and said, “We should write a Christmas cantata.”...
Of all the Christmas decorations that adorn shelves, tables, and lawns, few are as saturated with meaning as a Nativity Scene. It a visual reminder of the true reason for the season and one need not go far to find one. Just this morning I have seen no less than a dozen representations of the nativity. As I sit here in my office, there are three in my immediate field of vision. All of them...
If you take a drive around Seymour, Indiana, the signs of the season are starting to show. Men and women across this small town have made the trek into the inner recesses of their attics, garages, and various other storage areas to retrieve their holiday decorations so that they can begin the process of preparing for the coming festivities. The most wonderful time of the year is almost here! The...
There is much debate over when the Christmas season officially begins. Some, like myself, get the party started early in late October or early November. My personal practice is to dress up as Santa Claus during our annual Trunk or Treat event to mark the arrival of the season. Others prefer to follow the church liturgical calendar and wait until the start of Advent to deck the halls and fire up...
At no time of the year is tradition more widely observed and celebrated than during the Christmas season. Traditions vary from family to family, but we all have our own cherished holiday traditions. And it is, to some extent, the feelings of hope, joy, love, and peace that those traditions inspire that help make the season so special. Traditions have a sense of transcendence to them. They...
People love to celebrate! As noted in a recent article, on any given day, some “special” thing is being recognized, remembered, or celebrated. This is true throughout the year, but it is most clearly felt throughout what we know as “the Holiday Season.” In the span of approximately six weeks, we will celebrate three of what I would consider the Big Six American holidays. In the midst of these...
Ready or not, here it comes! The holiday season is upon us! Christmas music is rising with a steady crescendo as it overtakes our radio stations. Christmas lights are now lighting the night sky throughout our neighborhoods and within our homes. And, as the cold weather begins to settle in, a warm sensation begins to rise within us. Sometimes it’s the warm glow of love, hope, and peace; at other...
December 26 is known as boxing day. For most of my life (until yesterday, actually), I believed this was a holiday created by all of the Scrooges, Grinches, and Cheer-Misers of the world to apply pressure to abruptly and immediately end the Christmas celebration the day after the holiday proper. It made perfect sense in my head. What could a day called Boxing Day be about, but dragging out all of...
Jeremy Myers is the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church of Seymour, Indiana, where he has served since 2017. He has over 25 years of experience in local church ministry and not-for-profit leadership. He has a passion for helping emerging and existing generations learn to make space for each other and caring for the under-served and marginalized. In 2016, he earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Palmer Theological Seminary, with his thesis focusing on developing connections between senior adults and youth in the church. He is a passionate and gifted communicator and is regularly invited to speak at retreats, camps, conferences, and other events. He lives in Seymour, Indiana with his wife Robyn, their two children, Mikayla and JJ, and their Golden Doodle, Evie.
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