Read Matthew 2:8 King Herod Augustus, or as he preferred to be called Herod the Great, was appointed King of Judea by the Roman government. This was an insult to the Jews because Herod was not a Jew, and regardless of what he did to mediate between the Jews and the Romans, including rebuilding the.......Read More ..read more

Read Matthew 2:16-18 When the Magi didn’t return to tell Herod where they had found the new-born King, Herod was furious. He was so filled with anger and rage, he ordered all the baby boys, age two and under, living in or near Bethlehem to be killed. Since he couldn’t find out which baby was.......Read More ..read more

The Lighting of The Christ Candle – (white) John 1:29 Our waiting is over – Christmas Day is here. As we relight the three purple candles, and the pink candle, we now celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior and Lord. The first purple candle was the Prophecy candle, the candle of hope. The second.......Read More ..read more

The Lighting of the Angel Candle – (purple) the candle of love John 3:16-17 As we re-light the two purple candles and the pink candle, we remember the meaning of Advent is “coming” or “visit”! We are preparing for the Advent of Christ at Christmas, walking through those historical steps, and taking our time to.......Read More ..read more

Read Matthew 2:12 The Scriptures are silent regarding how long the wise men stayed with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, and we will respect that silence. However, Matthew leads us to believe that once their discovery was made, and the gifts were given, perhaps not wanting to interrupt their humble dwellings with their regaliant presence, they.......Read More ..read more

Read Matthew 2:11 Undoubtedly, the wise men were astounded to see this new-born King in such humble surroundings. No doubt they had expected Him to be the Son of royalty, perhaps a reigning monarch with all the splendor and wealth He would deserve. But even though they found Him in a common home with common.......Read More ..read more

Read Matthew 2:13-15 Not only did God warn the Magi about Herod, but He also sent His angel to warn Joseph to leave Israel, go to Egypt, and remain there until the Lord told him to return. Joseph put Mary and Jesus on the donkey again and left for Egypt, and they stayed there until.......Read More ..read more

The Lighting of the Shepherd Candle – (pink) the candle of Joy Luke 2:7-15 As we re-light the first two purple candles, we remember Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit.” We are preparing for the Advent at Christmas, walking through those historical steps, and taking time to understand and cherish every memory.......Read More ..read more

Read Matthew 2:9-10 Because we have heard the story so many times, and because we learned a lot of our Christology from the commercial Christmas Carols, we have overlooked some very important details. After the wise men received their instructions from King Herod, the Bible says, “and lo, the star, which they saw in the.......Read More ..read more