Sections IndexChad Bird
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  1. Why Not Diapers and Casseroles Instead of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?

    book
    01/05/22
    1 min read
    By Chad Bird
    Couldn't Mary and Joseph have used more practical gifts? Why did the magi bring such unusual presents to the Christ Child? And how do these Gentiles fit into this very Jewish part of Matthew's Gospel? Let's ask some Old Testament prophets and poets for the answer.

  2. A Two-Faced Look at the Coming New Year

    book
    12/30/21
    1 min read
    By Chad Bird
    Buried deep in our human psyche, there seems to be more than a need—almost a necessity—to celebrate the arrival of a new year. It’s like an unspoken, unlegislated cultural demand, as instinctual as moving to music or smiling at a newborn. Why? What deep human need is at work here?

  3. The Christmas Story No One Wants to Talk About: The Holy Innocents

    book
    12/28/21
    1 min read
    By Chad Bird
    A madman king. State-decreed infanticide. A fleeing holy family. What does all this have to do with Christmas? And how did a day of horror also become a day of hope? Today, December 28, the church remembers The Holy Innocents.

  4. The Jewish Nesting Doll of Christmas

    book
    12/20/21
    1 min read
    By Chad Bird
    To understand the Nativity we need to grasp the Jewish nature of Christmas. God sent his Son into the womb of a Jewish virgin, to be born in a Jewish town, and to be crucified with a sign over his head that reads, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews,” in order that salvation might go forth to all people from him.

  5. Debunking Popular Christmastime Myths: Temple Shepherds, Migdal Eder, and Swaddling Lambs

    book
    12/15/21
    1 min read
    By Chad Bird
    The Bethlehem shepherds were raising lambs for the temple? Jesus was born in a shepherd's tower called Migdal Eder? Shepherds swaddled lambs to keep them unblemished then placed them in a manger to keep them safe? What are we to make of these popular claims?
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