A Trinitarian Christmas

This was done up very quickly from a few texts I could come up with off the top of my head. If I were to search and study more carefully, I’m sure there would be more I could add. (What would you add?)

The Spirit

• carried along.  

  For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit  (1 Peter 1:21 ESV).

• conceived.   

  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20 ESV).

  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God (Luke 1:34-35 ESV).

The Son

• came.

  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people  did not receive him (John 1:9-11 ESV).

• became.

  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 ESV).

The Father

• gave.

  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 ESV).

• sent.

  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17 ESV).

A Catechism for Girls and Boys

Part I: Questions about God, Man, and Sin

13. Q. Can God do all things?
      A. Yes. God can do all his holy will.

(Click through to read scriptural proofs.)

Click to read more ...

Round the Sphere Again: Christmas Links

Brought for Us So Low
Christina Rossetti’s Christmas Eve at 168 hours.

The Light of the World
One especially for the kids: The Christmas story from the Jesus Storybook Bible (Ht: Justin Taylor).

Thinking About Why He Came
Three talks from D. A. Carson’s The God Who Is There series that are particularly suitable to this season:  

• The God Who Becomes a Human Being—on the mystery of the incarnation.
• The God Who Loves—on what the Bible says about God’s love, which is, you know, the reason behind the incarnation.
• The God Who Declares the Guilty Just—on what is the centerpiece of the purpose of the incarnation.

I’ve been listening as I do a few pre-Christmas chores, like cleaning the house and baking.