Hanging on a wall in our guestroom is an old framed piece of linen on which someone long ago laboriously embroidered: I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light, that I … Read more

Forget God and forget that there is ultimate truth worth striving for and indeed you get a society in which people cannot trust each other. Remember the Flatterer in The Pilgrim's Progress? The flatterer always gives to the flattered a … Read more

When God speaks in Psalm 12, the emphasis alters from evil ways in evil days to what is happening to the weakest in society. Listen: "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up", says … Read more

Friends, freedom is not the right to act like the devil or destroy the fabric of society, which, in most democracies, is considered to include the greatest good for the greatest number of people. VLTs, massage parlours, gambling, and drinking … Read more

The mayor of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, was writing about the lack of religious awareness in the city of Hamilton specifically and in the province of Ontario generally and called for the churches and community to get together to help teach … Read more

We all have a litany of complaints we offer to the Almighty when the days are dark and we are down and life is hard and circumstances make even getting up in the morning a real chore. If pushed, we … Read more

My mother, "of good old Scottish stock", and a Presbyterian all her life, went from the amenities of a city in Ontario to a small frontier town in north-eastern British Columbia. She saw, and was part of the community's growth … Read more

Who would leave the shepherds out of the Christmas story? Not me, that's for sure. You see, I'm one of them. The passage from Luke says there were shepherds in the fields that night, keeping watch over their flocks by … Read more

Luke is careful throughout his gospel to place Jesus in history. That was important back then because there were so many "mystery" and "fertility" religions which claimed to have miraculous births and gods who died and rose again. So Luke … Read more

Little Sue is standing before the Christmas tree in tinselled delight. More than the tinsel and lights, she sees the presents there that have her name on them. It is a good feeling, because she is an important person, beloved … Read more

Mary's song of joy rings out through the ages of history. She is filled with delight at the news that she has been so blessed by God, to be chosen as the mother to whom the Son of God will … Read more

A Christmas gift for a bride-to-be has to be just right. The year was 1948. Jean and I were engaged. Now it was time to get an engagement Christmas present. The choice was easy. It was a cedar-lined hope chest, … Read more

Somewhere back in my treasury of memories is a mental picture of myself at about age 21 or 22, a student at what was then Ewart College in Toronto, Ontario. I was away from home for the first time, and … Read more

Depending on how we choose to interpret this, it can seem to be beneficial to fit any particular situation, any business, any belief in anything, as long as one focuses on the origin of the gift or the profit (whether … Read more

One of our Christmas traditions is to remember the whole Christmas story as told in Luke 2. Many people will have a creche in their homes and some people will start by putting out the angels and an empty manger … Read more

Today, I would like to share with you another tradition which I have adopted. So often, when we think of the Christmas season we are filled with feelings of warmth and goodwill but that is not the case for many … Read more

Traditions are those things that we do which reinforce our family's personality and link us with our past and our future. We see these traditions when we come to celebrate Advent and Christmas. It is because of our traditions that … Read more

Long ago in the ancient Middle East, and probably in other areas of the world as well, when a king decided to tour part of his dominion, he would send a courier, a messenger, ahead of him to tell the … Read more

I never really thought about the knit part of this verse, until I read Max Lucado's calendar; he spoke of it as knitted: not mass produced, but knitted. When I think of knitting I think of my grandmother knitting socks … Read more

A happy madhouse. That about describes the scene at any airport, train or bus station just before Christmas. A crush of people all travelling for the holidays. Many will be going "home" or making a home, wherever they're going. That … Read more

Handel's Messiah is part of Christmas for many people. People may not know the whole oratorio, but they know the Hallelujah Chorus, and want to hear that. Problem is, it's not near the beginning, it's near the end. People, whose … Read more

Joy Davidman in her book Smoke on the Mountain wrote of "the mysterious power, vast and formless that filled the universe." It was her graphic way of describing the God of Israel. I found it a fresh and exciting description … Read more

There are some homes where the Christmas lights aren't shining as brightly as they did last year. Sorrow and loss affects us all; however the first Christmas with the loss of a loved one is something you almost have to … Read more

Calgary's Bob Edwards was a Western Canadian institution. He published the irreverent Calgary Eye Opener for twenty years. One of his pithy comments runs: "One can always tell when one is getting old and serious by the way the holidays … Read more

The book, The Screwtape Letters, is a Christian classic. In it, C.S. Lewis tells the story of a junior devil who is trying to gain the soul of a human, with some help from his uncle, a very senior devil. … Read more

Even this pair of laid-back retirees needs the Lord's providence. How he does sustain us through the Holy Spirit in the community of the church! And so each Sunday, as my wife Millie and I attend church, our ancient organ … Read more

As I sit here and look at the calendar, I'm astonished that it's been almost two years, two very long years. My daughter's best friend, Tina, was murdered. She was 14 at the time, as was Michelle. I knew her … Read more

I am involved with a small outreach on the outskirts of Victoria, British Columbia. Within our small group, there are a few that are involved with a prison ministry at William Head Prison. I had the privilege on November 16th … Read more

Sometimes it is necessary to "harden our faces," as it were, against what is wrong in a multitude of guises. The love of God does not tolerate evil, nor does he expect his people to. But we need to be … Read more

I started thinking about faces after watching a couple of TV documentaries earlier this year. One was about an earthquake in Pakistan. A reporter with a camera was walking about among the debris as rescue workers attempted to help the … Read more

There you have it, plain as anything. We bear the image of our Father-Creator. He means us to bear his likeness during our time on earth. Would anyone notice? Take our faces for example. Consider the influence we wield just … Read more