For pastors, Christmas never really goes away. It sits there in our diaries, all year round, making a slight dent.
Category: Christmas
How do we give those Christmas truths a cutting edge? How can we be fresh, while still working with the familiar?
A long time ago, in a cinema far, far away, I learnt a critical lesson about preaching at Christmas.
My Carol service talk, True Truths vs. Tinsel Truths, is available online. You’ll need to open this post, and then the link here will be live.
As Christmas comes round and carol services appearing the diary, I’m always reminded of one particular conversation, and of the reasons I’m a preacher, and a passionate evangelist. The church I was brought up was always packed for its Christmas services, and it did them well. There was a big choir, properly trained, and it
I met a local minister in a car park the other day, and he was already looking flustered. The summer is over, the term card hasn’t been sorted, and September’s here, which means one blink and we’ll be singing ‘Hark the Herald.’ Deep breath, don’t panic. Make a cup of coffee and grab a pen
Round about now, even the cheeriest of people starts to have a twinge of sympathy for Scrooge. As the last turkey slices are eaten, the first Christmas presents are broken, and the credit card bill pops through mail, who doesn’t think, ‘Bah, humbug”? Well, Christians don’t. Or we shouldn’t – but it took an evening
As a preacher I often find myself quite constrained at this time of year. There are some brilliant preaching opportunities coming round the corner (Carols, Christingle, Crib service, Midnight, Christmas Day), but they have quite a predictable shape to them. Carols: fifteen minute, punchy and throught-provoking evangelism. Christmas Day: fifteen minutes if I can hold
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