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“Isaiah Foretold It, Jesus Fulfilled It” (Isaiah 7:10-17)In the hymn we just sang, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” there’s this line, “Isaiah ’twas foretold it.” And yes, it was Isaiah who did foretell it. But what was it that Isaiah foretold? Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus Christ. The gospel writer Matthew tells us as much, that this is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. He writes: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God...

.....vacationing this week in Oahu, Obama and Najib teed off Wednesday on a cloudy but balmy afternoon at a Marine Corps base, not far from where Obama is renting a home for his two-week stay. The two leaders seemed at ease together, smiling and laughing in casual clothes as they sized up their shots.

Train 42, 'The Pelican', headed by N&W 4-8-4 Class J 603 arrives at Rural Retreat, VA eastbound from New Orleans to Washington shortly before 10pm Dec. 27th, 1957, and thunders off into the night. The Norfolk & Western Railway's own Class J was perhaps the finest of all express steam engines, and 603 is heard here in its last days of main line service with a consist of 17 cars. The photograph is of Train 17, 'The Birmingham Special' westbound arriving later that same night at 11:37pm, being waved through by Agent J.L. Akers. The photograph and sound recording were...

"Born for You a Savior" (Luke 2:1-20) "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." So the angel brought the good news of great joy to the shepherds. And so the good news comes to us tonight: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Let's consider now, and let us rejoice in, this glorious announcement, under the theme, "Born for You a Savior." In particular, I want us to zero in on three terms the angel uses...

Hello all. Sitting here at home and wondering if anyone else out there is spending this evening alone. On this night of all nights when families gather and friends share gifts and time, some of us are, for various reasons, spending Christmas Eve solo. Not necessarily a bad thing - alone doesn't always mean lonely. But, it does mean alone. Check in if that includes any of you, my fellow Freepers.

I’m not convinced that I can possibly improve upon this particular entry from Christmas Eves past, so I’ll continue this journal’s little tradition. For all who celebrate, and for anyone sorely in need of extra cheer this and any such season, today’s offerings are dedicated, as always. Columbia Workshop: The Plot to Overthrow Christmas (CBS, 24 December 1942) Set in hell, delivered in verse (some of it, admittedly, is a little on the awkward side but the archness of the delivery and the quality of the bulk makes up for it), some of history’s most notorious villains to that point...

Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and their two daughters did not go to church on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to press pool reports. The Obamas are in Kailua, Hawaii for a 17-day Christmas vacation. Although the Obamas did not go to church for Christmas, President Obama did play golf

The Apollo 8 astronauts were the first to orbit the moon, and captured the iconic photograph during the first manned space mission after the ill-fated Apollo 1. NASA astronauts became the first men to orbit the moon on the Apollo 8 mission, and in the process captured the historic "Earthrise" photograph. Astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders were the first humans to see the Earth rise over the moon's horizon Christmas eve 1968. You Tube:NASA EarthRise:The 45th AnniversaryTo commemorate the event, NASA has released a new video, with actual audio from the mission and visualizations telling the story...

Once again, All Classical broadcasts A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, recorded in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. The worship service was first introduced in 1918 and is broadcast to millions around the world. Tune in promptly so you don’t miss the opening carol, Once in Royal David’s City. The program airs at 7 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Eastern on December 24.

“Where Is God? Answer: Immanuel” (Matthew 1:18-25)Where is God in the midst of all of this? You hear this question all the time these days. Whenever there is a tragedy in the news, you hear people asking this question. “Where is God,” and then fill in the blank. Where is God when a tornado levels Moore, Oklahoma, or a typhoon devastates the Philippines? Where is God when there is a terrible school shooting--in Connecticut, in Colorado--and innocent children die? Where are you, God? Why did you let this happen? Or let’s bring it closer to home. Where is God when...

Every Christmas I make the 15-minute drive from my Jerusalem home to Bethlehem for a reality check on the beleaguered town five miles away. This year, contrary to the customary gloomy reports from the international media, things were bustling in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Bright blue skies and comfortable temperatures help make things more pleasant than in previous years when a cold, grey drizzle dampened spirits. Driving up to the Rachel’s Passage checkpoint in my car with Israeli plates, a quick check of my press credentials is all that’s needed to get waved through. Tour buses and private cars get...

“The Gift, the Announcement, and the Exclamation Mark” (Luke 2:1-14)Suppose I got a Christmas present for you, but I didn’t tell you about it. I didn’t tell you that I had something for you, and I didn’t tell you where you could find it. Well, it could be the greatest Christmas present in the world, but if you never find out what it is or where you can find it, it won’t do you much good. You need me to tell you about it. Well, that’s the way it is with Christmas. God has given us the greatest Christmas present...

BALI bomber Umar Patek was seeking a meeting with Osama bin Laden when he was arrested a few kilometres from the al-Qa'ida chief's hideout. The arrest in Abbottabad of Patek, the last major figure who was still at large for the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, has raised a critical question: did Patek give vital information to the mission to kill bin Laden, or did his arrest by Pakistani intelligence risk upsetting the American operation? Patek was arrested on January 25, nine days after stopping in the mountain garrison town on his way to meet...

If you're one of the many families that has a Christmas Eve eating tradition please give us your best. Personally my wifes family had one when we got married....Oyster stew and rice with raisins, it was vile! Thankfully I got her off that and for 20 years we've had Super Jumbo Atlantic wild caught Shrimp and Jumbo Stone Crab claws MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM gooooooood. Please post what you'll be having

“Home for the Holidays” (Luke 2:1-20)“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays.” So goes the familiar Christmas song. And it is good to be home, with family, at Christmas time. Renewed relations, good food, smiles on all the faces. There’s a fire in the fireplace, and you’re sitting in the living room, opening presents by the Christmas tree. Perry Como is singing in the background. Como, cocoa, cookies, and kids--a Christmas right out of Norman Rockwell. Very nice. But tonight I want to tell you about something even better than that. What it really means to be home...

The Talmud, with its share of rabbinic repudiations against Jesus, was never a big fan of Christmas. Call it the Grinch. Indeed, the rabbis looked at it as a day of mourning—perhaps due to the suffering that Jews encountered in Jesus' name throughout history. And Christmas Eve—named "Nittel Nacht" by Jewish scholars in the 17th century—took on a life of its own. The Jewish community has long had a tense relationship with Christmas. You wouldn't know it by the two main customs observed by many 21st-century Jews on Dec. 25: eating Chinese food and being the first to see the...

“December 24th: Spurgeon’s Evening Devotional” “‘The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ –Isaiah 40:5“We anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall be converted to Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when Romanism shall be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed shall wane, never again to cast its baleful rays upon the nations; when kings shall bow down before the Prince of Peace, and all nations shall call their Redeemer blessed. Some despair of this. They look upon the world as...

Just wondering if anyone else out there is spending the evening alone. Not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sipping a cappuccino and taking in "A Christmas Story" in the old man cave. I'll be with family tomorrow, but as of tonight, it's my faithful Boxer and me. And Ralphie.

From Pieter Friedrich’s Christmas Eve 2003 entry, at the now-retired ‘Deux Ego’ weblog: 12/24/2003: “December 24th: Spurgeon’s Evening Devotional”“‘The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ –Isaiah 40:5------------------ “We anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall be converted to Christ; when... =====> Read the Christmas Eve evening devotional, from Charles Spurgeon...

“The Era of Big Government Is Just Beginning” (Isaiah 9:2-7)“The era of big government is over.” So declared President Bill Clinton in his State of the Union address in January of 1996. Of course, in the fifteen years since then, our big government has gotten even bigger. The size and scope of the federal government, its power, its spending, its intrusion into our lives--way beyond the limits set for it by the Constitution--big government is bigger than ever. “The era of big government is over”? Really? I must have missed it. As you may have guessed, and as anybody who...