Category: Incarnation

I Bet You Didn't Know This About Bethlehem

12/6/2016

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

1. Bethlehem means "House of Bread" in Hebrew. Jesus said, " I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." " (John 6:51, ESV). Even the name of Jesus' birthplace was precisely chosen by God before the first Christmas took place.

2. Bethlehem was not the insignificant isolated village that we often think it to be. The reason why "there was no room for them in the inn," was not only because of the tax registration, but very likely also because Bethlehem was an important stop-over and supply-city on the principal trade route from Jerusalem to Egypt.

3. Far from just spending the night, Bethlehem was where Joseph and Mary lived for more than a year before being warned to flee into Egypt (Matthew 2:13). It is almost certain that they would have taken the same Bethlehem to Egypt trade route being well provisioned by the gifts of the Magi.

4. Bethlehem was the location where the shepherds who "tending their flocks by night" received the glorious news of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:8-20). It has been theorized that these men were no ordinary shepherds. They were very likely employees of the Temple (only about 6 miles away) charged with tending the priest's sacrificial sheep and lambs. Interestingly this means that those who first learned of the birth of "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, ESV) were the very men whose flocks foretold His coming.

5. Bethlehem and Jerusalem which are about 6 miles apart both rise to approximately the same elevation above sea level (slightly less than 2,500 ft.). Thus, the place of Jesus' birth was/is in sight of the place of His death. Furthermore, the place of His ascension (the Mount of Olives), being somewhat higher than both, looks down on the place of His birth, and crucifixion.

6. Bethlehem is located within eyeshot (nearly three miles southeast) of the Herodian, the highest peak in the Judean Desert. The Herodian was/is a manmade mountain built by King Herod the Great to serve as his burial place. Herod the Great would be buried there only two years after ordering the "slaughter of the innocents" (Matthew 2:16). Interestingly the burial place of King Herod the Great was plainly visible from the birthplace of the infant King of Kings who Herod had attempted to murder.

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The Incarnation: Leadership According to Jesus Christ

11/29/2016

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Is anyone else tired of the powerful elites using their positions of influence to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses? I am. But it’s nothing new. A quick read of Matthew 20:20-28 reminds us that even in the 1st century political rulers were doing much the same.

However, the Lord Jesus makes it clear that such rulers were not and are not models for leadership, especially Christian leadership. In fact Jesus, Himself, is our leadership model. He is the one that exemplifies Christian service.

"(Jesus Christ) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
(Philippians 2:6-8, ESV)

Just think about what we are being told!

That although Jesus, as God the Son, shares fully in the one essence of the Holy Triune God, He, “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (v.6). That is to say, that the eternal Son of God, long before His birth in a Bethlehem stable did not use His status for His own ends, nor did He use His status to take advantage of the masses. Quite to the contrary, He made Himself “nothing” by coming to earth as a tiny baby who would grow to serve those in need of His help. As Jesus Himself once put it:

"…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
(Mark 10:45, ESV)

Through His incarnation, the eternally existent second person of the Holy Trinity took to Himself a human nature in the person of Christ Jesus. In doing so He was adding to Himself all that is essential to humanity and He did this so as to meet our deepest need – namely to make atonement for our sin and to reconcile us to God.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ anticipated and celebrated by Christians each Advent season provides us with clear insight not just into the nature of genuine leadership but also into the heart of God Himself. In the incarnation of Christ we are shown that the One true God will go to the ultimate length to save and serve and secure His people.

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Christmas Cards From Around the Church

12/24/2015

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During this time of the year it is not only wonderful to revisit our own traditions but to also consider the Christmas traditions of others.

Perhaps the best way to appreciate and understand other traditions is by simply examining the Christmas cards they mail out. I find that Christmas cards always convey more than just a simple greeting of the season.

Here are some examples for your inspection.

Merry Christmas!

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'Tis the Season... To roast chestnuts???

12/10/2015

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WARNING: The following post was born out of the author's annoyance. Having had his fill of secularists celebrating the Advent season with songs about:

a) chestnuts
b) yule logs
c) snowfall
d) drummer boys (who, having just gotten her baby to sleep would encourage a drum-toting toddler to begin banging away????)
e) logs on the fire filling people "with desire" (logs have never done this sort of thing in my experience.)
f) sleigh rides

Through the author's rejection of such secular trivialities he has come to have some appreciation for other secularists - namely those who make some attempt (however, poorly and/or whimsically) to actually articulate the real meaning of Christmas. The videos posted below reflect this.

Sure... I know... Pastors aren't supposed to like such things. And normally I would eschew the world of washed-up, falsetto-screaming, leather-clad rockers - but alas! I was once an aspiring rocker and these are just too good (and ridiculous) not to enjoy during this wonderful season!

So enjoy! And as Tiny Tim would say (not the one with the ukulele), "Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone."

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Christ vs. Claus?

12/23/2014

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Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

The Merrie Theologiane loves the odd bit of art. In this Christmas card for the Skinny Magazine, artist Nick Cocozza imagines the greatest head to head “in all history” – the patron saint of Xmas, who leads his devotees in a pilgrimage of Coca Cola consumerism each ‘winter holiday’, against baby Jesus (now grown up), the one who bangs on about the real meaning of Christmas (virgins, mangers, angels, wise men, asses, etc.). Just do a bit of letter jiggling, and it’s clear that Santa is Jesus’ sworn enemy! Right? Wrong!

If Santa and Jesus met (and most surely they already have!), Santa would be very much on Jesus’ side! The real Santa, is a great Hebrews 11 style witness to help us celebrate the coming of the Saviour of the world at Christmas time. Santa Claus/Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas was a bishop in south eastern Turkey in the fourth century. Gift-giving, stockings, generosity, chimneys, being nice to children, bags of chocolate coins, all have their origins in the life and legends of old St. Nick.

The stories surrounding St. Nicholas – of selfless generosity and care for the poor (and the odd miracle!) – give us a glimpse of a man who was a great example of love for Jesus producing love for neighbour. So Claus and Christ are no enemies. But there was another occasion on which Santa Nicholas gave evidence of his great love for Jesus – and this one did involve some boxing…

Bishop Nicholas was one of the 318 in attendance at the famous Council of Nicaea in 325AD, from which we get our Nicene Creed. There was great controversy because Arius, a priest from Alexandria, was arguing that, though Jesus was fully human, he was not fully divine. On hearing Arius’ denigrating of Christ, ‘jolly old St. Nick’ got up and gave him a good slap round the chops! The rest of the council agreed with Nicholas, and Arius was condemned a heretic, but Father Christmas found himself behind bars for the night!

So you see Christ vs. Claus is really very far from reality – and we should reclaim this great prize fighter of the faith for the Lord he loved! Gene Edward Veith suggests we need to tweak the Lapland mythology to suit this end: “Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean.” And maybe we need some new songs and TV shows too: "'Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap,' 'Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly,' 'Frosty the Gnostic,' 'How the Arian Stole Christmas,' 'Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus.'"

So when you’re writing your letters to Santa this year, remember that a very very long time ago, he wrote one to you:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;

By whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth;

Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;

He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

And in the Holy Ghost.

But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

(This article reprinted by the generous permission of my friends at www.theologynetwork.org. All suspicious spellings are entirely due to the Merrie Theologiane's country of origin - a place outside of America where "The Language" is not written properly.)

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I Bet You Didn't Know This About Bethlehem

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

The Incarnation: Leadership According to Jesus Christ

Christmas Cards From Around the Church

'Tis the Season... To roast chestnuts???

Christ vs. Claus?

Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

Rev. R Crabtree

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ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

I Bet You Didn't Know This About Bethlehem

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace​(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

The Incarnation: Leadership According to Jesus Christ

Christmas Cards From Around the Church

'Tis the Season... To roast chestnuts???

Christ vs. Claus?

Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

Rev. R Crabtree

Archives

Categories

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH​228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322​© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.