By David L. Chancey
Fayetteville, Georgia
I love Christmas. It’s a season of cheer and goodwill, wrapped in red and green. There’s an extra skip in our step and a song in our heart as the calendar unfolds and Christmas approaches. Christmas is a holy hug from heaven.
As the late B.O. Baker, Texas pastor, wrote, “It’s a carol of hope in a world of broken dreams. … It’s the coming into time of the Savior, Jesus Christ; a God-kind of joy lying in a manger; the hope of heaven in a mother’s arms.”
In no particular order, here are 10 things I love about Christmas:
- Christmas music.
- Preaching on Christmas themes.
- Trimming the tree and decorating the house.
- Giving gifts.
- People’s generosity and acts of kindness.
- Family time.
- Baking and eating Christmas goodies.
- Hearing the Christmas story. It’s still the greatest story ever told! Take a moment to read Luke 2:1–20.
- The Christmas Eve service.
- Christmas morning. Exchanging gifts, laughing, sharing and building memories. Time around the tree, breakfast casserole and remembering to center Christmas around Jesus and thank God for His indescribable gift.
I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
Every day you have the opportunity to make new, cherished memories that could last all your life. Be on the lookout for moments that can catch you by surprise.
Richard Blackaby
@richardblackaby on X
My prayer is that state papers will continue to tell the story of how Baptists are sharing the good news of Jesus Christ until He returns.
Lonnie Wilkey
Retiring editor, Tennessee’s Baptist and Reflector
“Christians — and particularly Christian women [in Pakistan] — need to be thought of not just as marginalized, but as the underdog among underdogs,” said Baylor University graduate student Hina Abel, who grew up in Pakistan and lived in Lahore until 2019. “There is severe suppression on so many fronts.”
“Our churches are surrounded by people who desperately need the Lord. Our church members are in the community rubbing shoulders with the lost. For many, the difference between heaven and hell may be a simple invitation to church,” said D. Scott Hildreth of Lifeway Research.
Simply put, salvation is costly. God does not redeem us with perishable things like silver or gold, nor the futile way of life that is so common all around us, but with precious blood of His unblemished and spotless Son, Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:18–19). The Savior who died on a cross for the sins of this world is not a good way, or even the best way to heaven. Jesus is THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN.
Do people recognize you as a Christian? Do others see the God the Father in you? Does your lifestyle accurately reveal the nature and character of God? Following the One who is holy means that we, too, become more and more holy as each day passes.
Adam B. Dooley, pastor
Englewood Baptist Church
Jackson, Tennessee
“It’s easy to think scary situations in the military only happen during deployment. … We don’t just need the church when our warriors are deployed. We need the church to come alongside us in our daily lives as military families,” said Ashley Ashcraft, a military spouse, homeschool mom and
nationally recognized educator.
“Everywhere we went, everybody was super enthusiastic about the women’s chainsaw team. The homeowners were all like, ‘Oh, wow, I can’t believe this. You’re all women.’ They enjoyed it, and it was a blessing. We were able to bless a lot of people,” said Janet Fryar, one of a six-member women’s chainsaw unit from the Russellville, Arkansas, area that recently helped clear debris in Valdosta, Georgia, following damage from Hurricane Helene. The volunteers serve with Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief, and this was their first deployment together as a unit.
