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...
Throughout the Christmas season, countless pastors will refer to Jesus’s journey from the cradle to the cross. I love it, myself. It has a great cadence, is easy to remember, and is alliterated (which is a pastoral win!). But, what I really love is that it makes the essential connection between the wonder of Christ’s birth and the somber purpose for which He was born. The baby in the manger, the...
My family and I are making our yearly trek through the plethora of classic Christmas movies. It would be an exceedingly difficult task for me to choose a single movie as my “favorite.” Each of them plays a part in helping me remember an important aspect or idea of the Christmas season and challenges or encourages me. One such movie is Disney’s animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas...
In 1984, Mark Lowry wrote the lyrics for the song “Mary Did You Know?” The music was composed by Buddy Greene in 1991. There is no way Mark could have known how popular and powerful that song would become. Almost forty years later, that song has been recorded by numerous artists of all styles and genres and will be played a countless number of times throughout the Christmas season. The song is a...
There’s something about the holiday season that makes us extra nostalgic. To clarify, when I say the holiday season, I am referring to the period of time beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas. There are many factors which I believe play a role in our propensity to look back at days gone by. Over the next several weeks we will be consistently reminded of precious moments from our...
Each year, I heft all of our boxes of lights down from our attic like a Himalayan Sherpa, minus their skill, strength, and style. Once the boxes and my person are safely on the ground, I begin the time honored tradition of checking the lights. Over the years, I have been exceptionally lucky when it comes to our Christmas lights. Occasionally, I will discover a bulb or two that has burned out, but...
One of my oldest and dearest friends, Pastor Mike Miller, recently reached out to ask me to offer some insights into an article he was writing for his church newsletter. As I read what he had written, I found myself both convicted and encouraged. His words cut through the mess of our current crisis and through the mess we often make of this time of year and point us to the true heart of Christmas...
The Christmas season inspires a great many feelings in each of our hearts. For the vast majority of us, fear is not one of them. It is of particular interest, then, that in several portions of the Christmas narrative angels are issuing the encouragement, “Do not be afraid.” As a matter of fact, almost every time an angel appears in the Christmas story, this is part of their message. This comes as...
Over the years, I have developed quite the collection of nativity sets. For those unfamiliar with this term, the nativity is the depiction of the birth of Jesus. It is often referred to as the manger. These sets often contain the virgin Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, a donkey, an ox, some shepherds with sheep, wisemen/magi with their accompanying animals, and an angel or a star. These nativity...
I don’t like the term “ugly Christmas sweater.” While, I would certainly agree that most Christmas clothing is incredibly eccentric, attention grabbing, and perhaps a bit on the bright side, I enjoy seeing the different pieces throughout the holiday season. I own quite a few of these modern works of art myself and wear them loudly and proudly (emphasis on loudly). Don’t get me wrong, there is no...
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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