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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

The real meaning of Christmas

By Billy Graham There are three symbols which mean Christmas — the real meaning of Christmas. An illustration of a cradle The first is a cradle. There, in Bethlehem, were cradled the hopes and dreams of a dying world. Those chubby little hands that clasped the straw in His manger crib were soon to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears and still the troubled seas. That cooing voice was soon to teach men of the Way and to raise the dead. Those tiny feet were to take Him to the sick and needy and were to be pierced on Calvary’s cross. That manger crib in remote Bethlehem became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God. An illustration of a cross The cross. There were both light and shadow on that first Christmas. There was joy with overtones of sadness, for Jesus was born to die. Jesus, approaching the cross, said, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world To Christians the joy of Christmas is not limited to His birth It was His death and resurrection that gave meaning to His birth. It is in the cross that the world can find a solution to its pressing problems. An illustration of a crown The crown. Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns and enthroned on a cruel cross, yet His … [Read more...]

Christmas brings a great hope for all

By Eddie Wren For four hundred years there was silence. Darkness, if you will. There was no communication from Heaven as the prophets had no word from God. That sounds very strange to those of us who have a copy, or multiple copies, of God’s Word at our disposal. Even so, that was the situation for the world before the first Christmas. Can you imagine the desperation the world found itself in? Perhaps you can. Maybe you are in such a desperate situation yourself at the present. If so, maybe reflection on the Christmas story will help. The world was in darkness and I am not sure anyone noticed. But then all at once there was light. It began with a visit from an angel to a priest named Zechariah. Luke 1:8ff tells us Zechariah was performing his priestly service to the Lord when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared. As you can imagine, Zechariah was terrified. But the angel brought news of joy and gladness and informed Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. Then in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel appeared again, but this time to a relative of Elizabeth named Mary and then to Mary’s husband to be, Joseph. The angel informed Mary and Joseph … [Read more...]

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

By Gevan Spinney This past January I found myself in the little town of Bethlehem. As I looked over the fields that lay just outside that city my mind began to wonder a bit as I sang to myself those familiar words, "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie." This very spot has found it’s way onto several pages of our bible. It was in this spot that Ruth gleaned in Boaz' field. It was in this spot that David tended his sheep. It was in this same spot the angels announced to the shepherds the "good news of great joy which will be to all people." In each of those instances God used unlikely people to bring Him glory. Ruth was a Gentile girl from Moab, yet God had a plan to weave her unlikely life into His story of redemption. She would become the great-grandmother of King David and Matthew would later include her in his genealogy of the Lord Jesus. David was the unlikeliest of Jesse’s boys to be anointed king. He wasn’t even invited into the house when the prophet Samuel came. It wasn’t until all of his seven older brothers were paraded by the prophet, that they sent for David in that Bethlehem field. The one anointed that day was the ruddy, bright-eyed, song-writing shepherd; with the heart … [Read more...]

The trouble with “Joy to the World”

By John J. Frady Some of our most beloved Christmas songs, when you stop to consider the lyrics, are not really about Christmas. Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland are more about the winter season than they are about Christmas. My Favorite Things is from the musical The Sound of Music and takes place when children are frightened by a storm. Finally, Let It Snow and Baby It’s Cold Outside are about…well…not Christmas, that’s for sure. And then, there’s the beloved Christmas carol Joy To The World, which as it turns out, is not really about Christmas at all. Joy To The World, sung mostly at Christmastime, has more to do with the second coming of Jesus than the first. Isaac Watts, the English poet and originator of the lyrics, draws the song’s initial inspiration, not from the birth of Jesus narrative in Luke 2, but from Psalm 98. He paraphrased Psalm 98 in his collection titled The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Joy to the World was taken from his portion titled The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom based on the following from the King James Version: Make a joy noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the … [Read more...]

I’ll be gone for Christmas?

By Stewart Holloway Home is where Christmas memories are made. Whether it’s at mom and dad’s, grandma and grandpa’s, our in-laws, or someone else’s place, home is where Christmas memories are made. That’s why we want to be home for Christmas. In fact, this longing prompts 100 million Americans to travel every year and inspires artists to write songs and movies about being home for Christmas. Yet, there are challenges with that longing. In 1943, Bing Crosby recorded “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The short, 8-line song touched the hearts of Americans who had loved ones serving overseas during WWII as well as G.I.’s who heard it around the globe. The promise is made “I’ll be home for Christmas” but then the reality is admitted, “If only in my dreams.” That’s true for many of us – we can’t go home – or we can only do so in our dreams. Maybe you always went to grandma’s house for Christmas – but now grandma has gone to be with Jesus, and you can’t go there anymore. Maybe you moved from the house you called home. Maybe your parents have passed away and there is no home to go back to. Maybe you just can’t go home because of work or you can’t afford to travel. Perhaps you’re on the other side of the issue - someone you want to … [Read more...]