As a big Narnia fan and a fan of Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child, I think this partnership is a great idea.

Operation Narnia (Video length: 1:06)

Operation Narnia is a partnership with the Samaritan’s Purse program, Operation Christmas Child, to bring the joy of Christmas to kids all over the world! This is the perfect opportunity for your family and friends to spread cheer and hope to needy boys and girls in over 130 countries. With your help, our goal is to deliver more than 8 million shoe boxes, filled with items that will be meaningful to a child – toys, stuffed animals, school supplies, hard candy, and hygiene items. These boxes are then delivered to local collection centers around the country and shipped in time for the Christmas season.

Let me encourage you to participate in this wonderful program for kids all around the world this year. You could also talk to your pastor about getting your whole church involved.

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Here is a recording project our whole family worked on together over the Christmas vacation. Don’t let the piano intro fool you. The actual song kicks in after about 20 seconds. Enjoy!

Angels

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    – Recorded and produced by Sam Fowler
    – Arranged by Sam and Rose Fowler
    – Lead vocal by Rose Fowler
    – Guitars by Sam Fowler
    – Piano by Ramón Fowler
    – Percussion by Timothy Fowler
    – Background vocals by Rose and Ray Fowler

So, what did you do over your Christmas vacation?

Related posts:
    • A Very Merry Guitar Christmas from Sam Fowler
    • Guess the Famous Christmas Trees

The reason for the season:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)

Merry Christmas!

What if, instead of God sending three wise men at our Savior’s birth, He had sent three wise women?

1. They would have stopped to ask for directions.
2. They would have been on time.
3. They would have prepared the stable.
4. They would have helped deliver the baby.
5. They would have made a casserole.
6. And they would have brought diapers as a gift rather than perfume.

HT: Pastor’s Weekly Briefing

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Here is a Christmas quote from John Donne, one of my favorite poets (along with a bit of a mystery below). These were the opening sentences of a sermon Donne preached on Luke 2:29-30 at St. Paul’s on Christmas Day in 1626.

The whole life of Christ was a continual passion; others die martyrs, but Christ was born a martyr. He found a Golgotha (where he was crucified) even in Bethlehem, where he was born; for, to his tenderness then, the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after; and the manger as uneasy at first, as his cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas Day and his Good Friday are but the evening and morning of one and the same day.” (John Donne, “Sermon Number 11. Preached at St. Pauls upon Christmas Day. 1626.” The Sermons of John Donne, edited by Evelyn M. Simpson and George R. Potter [Berkeley: University of California Press, 1962], Volume 7, p. 279.)

Note: I have noticed the following lines attached to this quote online and elsewhere:

“From the creche to the cross is an inseparable line. Christmas only points forward to Good Friday and Easter. It can have no meaning apart from that, where the Son of God displayed his glory by his death.”

These are good lines, but they should not be attributed to Donne. I cross-checked Donne’s sermon in both the Simpson/Potter work cited above, as well as in Alford. (The Works of John Donne; by John Donne, Henry Alford; pp. 57-58) The additional lines do not show up in either work.

As far as I can tell, the lines were first attached to the quote in Joseph Skip Ryan’s book, That You May Believe (p. 50). Ryan credits The Book of Uncommon Prayer, edited by Constance Pollock and Daniel Pollock. The quote from Donne appears in Pollock’s book under the title, Epiphany (p. 49), but it does not have the added lines.

More recently, Ryan’s chapter was picked up in Nancy Guthrie’s new advent book, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, where the full quote including the additional lines are reproduced (pp. 20-21). This is an excellent book which is getting a lot of well-deserved attention, and most of the quotes popping up online with the additional lines reference Guthrie’s book.

So, where did these mysterious lines come from, and how did they get attached to Donne’s quote? I am guessing the additional lines were probably written by Ryan and were meant to follow Donne’s quote as commentary, but were mistakenly included within the quotation marks instead. If anyone can shed further light on this, I would be interested to know.

Related post:  7 Great Books to Read at Christmas

I am sharing sound clips from my five favorite Christmas CDs this week. And now, let’s have a drum roll please for number one …

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD #1:

Kathy Mattea; Good News

Song list: 1. What a Wonderful Beginning; 2. There’s a New Kid in Town; 3. Brightest and Best (Star of the East); 4. Mary, Did You Know?; 5. The Star; 6. Emmanuel; 7. Somebody Talkin’ About Jesus; 8. Nothing But a Child; 9. Christ Child’s Lullaby;
10. Good News
 
 
 
 

Why is this my all-time favorite Christmas CD? Kathy’s voice soars on these songs with deep conviction and emotion. She sings what for me is the definitive version of “Mary Did You Know.” There is a good blend of musical styles from ballads, to classical, to gospel, to folk. There is acoustic guitar! But most of all, this is an album that meditates deeply on the incarnation of Christ as found in Scripture and draws me into worship. What can I say? It’s the best! Here are some sound clips:

What a Wonderful Beginning

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Mary Did You Know?

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Somebody Talkin’ About Jesus

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Good News

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Well, that’s the end of my Christmas CD series. If you missed any, feel free to browse back to the earlier posts to check them out. And now that I’ve shared my favorites with you, let’s hear your favorite Christmas CDs in the comments.

Other posts in the series:
    Number 5: Shawn Colvin; Holiday Songs and Lullabies
    Number 4: Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day
    Number 3: Amy Grant; Home for Christmas
    Number 2: Bruce Cockburn; Christmas
    Number 1: Kathy Mattea; Good News

I am sharing sound clips from my five favorite Christmas CDs this week. Today is number two.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD #2:

Bruce Cockburn; Christmas

Song list: 1. Adeste Fidelis; 2. Early on One Christmas Morn; 3. O Little Town of Bethlehem; 4. Riu, Riu, Chiu; 5. I Saw Three Ships; 6. Down in Yon Forest; 7. Anges Dans Nos Campagnes; 8. Go Tell It on the Mountain; 9. Shepheards; 10. Silent Night; 11. Jesus Ahatonnia; 12. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; 13. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; 14. Mary Had a Baby; 15. Joy to the World
 

Canadian Bruce Cockburn is my favorite singer / songwriter / guitarist, and I love what he has done with this Christmas CD. He takes familiar Christmas carols and sings them as simple songs. He digs deep into the past to find lesser known Christmas carols to share. He seeks to be faithful to the cultural roots of the songs. He mixes rollickin’ celebratory tunes with more reflective ones. He adds an original carol of his own. He communicates the true meaning of Christmas by focusing on Christ. And he does it all with his bright acoustic guitar fingerpicking lighting up the various musical offerings. This is a truly great Christmas CD! Here are some sound clips for you to enjoy:

Early on One Christmas Morn

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I Saw Three Ships

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Mary Had a Baby

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Wow! It doesn’t get much better than that. But be sure to come back tomorrow for my number one pick!

Other posts in the series:
    Number 5: Shawn Colvin; Holiday Songs and Lullabies
    Number 4: Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day
    Number 3: Amy Grant; Home for Christmas
    Number 2: Bruce Cockburn; Christmas
    Number 1: Kathy Mattea; Good News

I am sharing sound clips from my five favorite Christmas CDs this week. Today is number three.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD #3:

Amy Grant; Home for Christmas

Song list: 1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; 2. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year; 3. Joy To The World/For Unto Us A Child Is Born; 4. Breath Of Heaven (Mary’s Song); 5. O Come All Ye Faithful; 6. Grown-Up Christmas List; 7. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree; 8. Winter Wonderland; 9. I’ll Be Home For Christmas; 10. The Night Before Christmas; 11. Emmanuel, God With Us ; 12. Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring

Amy Grant has three Christmas CDs, but this second one is my favorite. Excellent song selection, strong arrangments, some great guitar work from Phil Keaggy, and Amy’s voice just shines with authority on these songs. Plus, this CD introduced me to the breath-taking song, “Breath of Heaven.” Here are some sound clips for your listening enjoyment!

O Come All Ye Faithful

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Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)

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(Note: Amy also recently released The Christmas Collection CD with selections from all three CDs on one.)

Feel free to share any of your favorites in the comments, and be sure to come back tomorrow for number two!

Other posts in the series:
    Number 5: Shawn Colvin; Holiday Songs and Lullabies
    Number 4: Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day
    Number 3: Amy Grant; Home for Christmas
    Number 2: Bruce Cockburn; Christmas
    Number 1: Kathy Mattea; Good News

I am sharing sound clips from my five favorite Christmas CDs this week. Today is number four.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD #4:

Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day (Out of stock at Amazon, but you can order directly from Woodpecker Records here.)

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; 2. Deck The Halls; 3. Angels We Have Heard On High; 4. Greensleeves; 5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town; 6. Silent Night; 7. Little Drummer Boy; 8. Away In A Manger; 9. Good King Wenceslas; 10. Ode To Joy; 11. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; 12. O Tannenbaum; 13. Jingle Bells; 14. Carol Of The Birds; 15. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer; 16. The Heart Of The Minstrel On Christmas Day; 17. O Holy Night.

Harvey Reid is an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist who lives in Maine and makes his own recordings. This is a great collection of mostly instrumental Christmas tunes on guitar and/or autoharp. Here are some sound clips:

Good King Wenceslas

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Jingle Bells

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Feel free to share any of your favorites in the comments, and be sure to come back tomorrow for number three!

Other posts in the series:
    Number 5: Shawn Colvin; Holiday Songs and Lullabies
    Number 4: Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day
    Number 3: Amy Grant; Home for Christmas
    Number 2: Bruce Cockburn; Christmas
    Number 1: Kathy Mattea; Good News

We love Christmas music at our house and have collected quite a few Christmas CDs over the years. We have a lot of the old classics such as Bing Crosby, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as more modern ones.

This week I will be sharing with you sound clips from my five all-time favorite Christmas CDs. My favorite music revolves around singer/songwriters and acoustic guitar, so you will quickly notice a trend in each of these recordings!

I will do this in the form of a countdown, so today we start with number five.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD #5:
Shawn Colvin — Holiday Songs and Lullabies

Song list: 1. In the Bleak Midwinter; 2. Christmas Time Is Here; 3. Now the Day Is Over; 4. Rocking; 5. Windy Nights; 6. All Through the Night; 7. Love Came Down at Christmas; 8. Silent Night; 9. All the Pretty Li’l Horses; 10. Little Road to Bethlehem; 11. Seal Lullaby; 12. Evening Is a Little Boy/The Night Will Never Stay; 13. The Christ Child’s Lullaby; 14. Close Your Eyes.
 

This delightful CD features a unique blend of Christmas carols, folk songs, and lullabies. I love the way Shawn wraps her voice around each of these melodies in her own distinctive way. Here are a couple sound clips:

Little Road to Bethlehem

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Love Came Down at Christmas

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Feel free to share any of your favorites in the comments, and be sure to come back tomorrow for number four!

Other posts in the series:
    Number 5: Shawn Colvin; Holiday Songs and Lullabies
    Number 4: Harvey Reid; The Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day
    Number 3: Amy Grant; Home for Christmas
    Number 2: Bruce Cockburn; Christmas
    Number 1: Kathy Mattea; Good News

One of the ways I like preparing for Christmas during the Advent season is to read books relating to Christmas and the incarnation. Here are seven of my favorites.

In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church, by Paul L. Maier. Pastor and historian Paul Maier looks at the historical and cultural backgrounds surrounding Christmas, Easter and the Christians of the early church. This is a gorgeous book full of maps, photos and many fascinating facts.

Great Sermons on the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, edited by Wilbur M. Smith. This is a great collection of sermons. The first volume contains 15 Christmas sermons by 10 different preachers, including messages by Charles Spurgeon, Joseph Parker, Martin Luther, G. Campbell Morgan, Harold Ockenga, and more. (Currently out of print but can be purchased used.)

God With Us: The Miracle of Christmas, by John MacArthur. We have used this as an advent devotional with our children in the past. MacArthur provides brief, informative chapters on Old Testament prophecy, Jesus’ ancestry, the Virgin Birth, Joseph and Mary, the Wise Men, and other Christmas themes. Various sidebars throughout the book explain the origins of common Christmas traditions.

The Risk of Birth, edited by Luci Shaw. This is a wonderful and thought-provoking collection of poems exploring Christ’s birth and the implications of the incarnation. Shaw presents some of her own works along with poems by C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, Eugene Warren, and others. (Currently out of print but can be purchased used.)

Proclaiming the Christmas Gospel: Ancient Sermons and Hymns for Contemporary Christian Inspiration, edited by John D. Witvliet and David Vroege. This collection of 13 Christmas sermons spans nearly 1100 years. Included are messages from Augustine, Jerome, Gregory the Great, John Wycliffe, Thomas à Kempis, and more. This is a great way to dig into some of the sermons of the past dealing with Christmas.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.   This is a great book to read any time of the year, but especially at Christmas. “Always winter, but never Christmas” — that is, until Aslan comes along! Lewis’ ability to capture rich, Christian insight in narrative form is unmatched. Read it with your kids or just enjoy it for yourself.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas, edited by Nancy Guthrie. This is new for me this year, but I am already enjoying it. The book contains Christmas reflections from 22 different writers. There are classic theologians from the past such as Whitefield, Calvin and Edwards, as well as contemporary writers such as Keller, Piper, Alcorn, MacArthur, Schaeffer, Sproul, and Joni Eareckson Tada.

Do you have suggestions for books to read at Christmas? Feel free to share them in the comments section.

Here is another excerpt from Sunday’s message on The Star of Bethlehem.

God’s purpose for the Star of Bethlehem was to point the Magi to Christ … That is still God’s purpose for us today. God doesn’t want us to get all hung up on the various attempts at explaining the star away or trying to figure it all out. Just as the purpose of a reading lamp is to shed light on the book you are reading, or the purpose of a spotlight is to highlight the person on stage, the purpose of the star is to point us to Christ …

Jesus is the real “star” of Bethlehem. He is the star attraction. He is center stage. He was the motivation for the Magi’s journey and the reason for their rejoicing. He is the reason for our celebration of Christmas today. The babe in the manger is the centerpiece of every nativity scene. The purpose of the star is to point us to him.

So every time you see a star this Christmas, think about Jesus. When you place the star on your tree this Christmas, remember Jesus. When you hear Christmas carols referencing the star, worship and celebrate Jesus. And when you think about the star and how it led the Magi to Christ, ask God, “With whom would you have me share the good news of Jesus this Christmas?”

Jesus is the reason for the season. The purpose of the star is to point us to Christ.

Related post: What Was the Star of Bethlehem?
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