God rest ye merry, gentlemen,Let nothing you dismay.Remember Christ our SaviourWas born upon this day.To save us all from Satan' s power,When we were gone astray.O tidings of comfort and joy,Comfort and joy.O tidings of comfort and joy. This is a beautiful old English carol that is not much sung nowadays. There seem to be … Continue reading Christmas day in the morning
Christmas
Memories of Christmases past
December 24, 1955. At 11:15 PM my parents and I got into our old GMC half ton and drove into town and through it to the little white Anglican church on the north side. I was driving, even though I was only thirteen, almost fourteen. An RCMP constable attended this church, too, but he carefully … Continue reading Memories of Christmases past
How I spent Christmas day
The night before Christmas we were visited by an Alberta Clipper, a fast moving snowstorm. When I got up in the morning I could see that more snow had fallen in the night, but it didn't look like a lot, I didn't see any major snowdrifts in the white landscape. I didn't think I had … Continue reading How I spent Christmas day
The quietly disruptive Jesus
Christmas is supposed to be white, isn't it? Here in Canada we expect to have snow on the ground at Christmas time and many of the Christmas cards we receive feature snowy scenes. Yesterday I began to wonder what scenes people in the southern hemisphere put on Christmas cards. So I asked my wife, "What … Continue reading The quietly disruptive Jesus
The Son of God
Waubuno, Ontario, December 27, 1897 Ma was telling us that there are always men rising up and declaring that Jesus could not be the Son of God, but was just a wonderful teacher. But she says not to let that bother us, for none of those men who undertake to explain all the works of … Continue reading The Son of God
The return of the light
The Israelites had light when the Egyptians were in darkness. The light went with them to show the way when the waters stood aside to let them cross the Red Sea. The light stayed with them for forty years through the wilderness, then led them through the Jordan into the promised land, while the waters … Continue reading The return of the light
A Mother’s Teaching from 1897
Ma was telling us that there are always men rising up and declaring that Jesus could not be the Son of God, but was just a wonderful teacher. But she says not to let that bother us, for none of those men who undertake to explain all the works of God, have been able to … Continue reading A Mother’s Teaching from 1897
Christmas
There fared a mother driven forth Out of an inn to roam; In the place where she was homeless All men are at home. The crazy stable close at hand, With shaking timber and shifting sand, Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand Than the square stones of Rome. For men are homesick in … Continue reading Christmas
Where was the manger?
There are many supposed and real hints in the Bible of just how things will play out when our Lord returns. For centuries eminent scholars have scrutinized these hints and endeavoured to put together a coherent time line of that event. They have written many stories based on those searches; they all sound wonderful, but … Continue reading Where was the manger?
Why Mary?
The story is hardly credible to our modern minds. A fifteen-year-old girl informs her parents—I am assuming her parents were still living, though there is no mention of them—that an angel has visited her and now she is pregnant with the long-awaited Messiah. We don’t expect the birth of Messiah, and few people know the … Continue reading Why Mary?
Flatlander Faith 