Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
on Christmas Eve
Yes, it is Christmas Eve, and I am out of ideas for how many other ways to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. So I’m keeping it simple and short, and wishing you a Merry Christmas. Watch the video in 30 seconds ::
For these holiday seasons, both Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s the mixed emotions of being with extended family members that many only see this one time of year. Then, there’s my lil’ online family too, those who connect with me and one another via blogging, twitter, facebook, skype, and tokbox. My life is so much richer for both on-line and off-line relationships. I enjoy them both so.
And, back by popular demand, here’s the Chuang Chess Christmas e-card for 2009! [PDF download] Thank you again for staying connected and I’m anticipating more connections, conversations, and opportunities in the new year with you, both on-line and on-site.
a Merry Christmas from me to you
This video powered by Tokbox.com — it’s pronounced “talk”-”box”. Don’t mispronounce it like I did.
can Christmas bring people together?
Christmas celebrates the coming of Christ into the world. Jesus shows us what God is really like, and shows us what He wants for people. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)
Jesus shows that being spiritual is being engaged in the real world. A real Christian faith is so much more than prayer, Bible reading, attending worship services. And, the Christmas story ought to bring peace and good will to all kinds of people.
Yet, only 7% of U.S. churches are racially diverse.[*]
Q: Why? What are the reasons for its being so low?
A: There are three things, and it depends on the group that we’re talking about, but there’s history, there’s culture, and then there’s social networks. [emphasis mine]
Social networks. The sociological factors that affect church life often go understated, often rationalized in theological constructs. Watch the entire interview from PBS Religion & Ethics:
[*] Religion and Ethics interview with Michael Emerson, author of People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States; researchers regard a “mixed” congregation as one with at least 20 percent of its members providing racial or ethnic diversity
Aside: for fans of The Office and/or those who can laugh at their own religions, watch the God, Inc. series over at YouTube; note the difference between “really Christian” and “sort of Christian”]
Christmastime is review time
It’s that time of year, when all of us look back at (some) highlights of the year 2007, and to celebrate Christmas holidays too.
If your inbox resembles anything like mine, with lots of unread emails and Inbox Zero hasn’t become a habit yet, you’re probably receiving lots of emails with a PDF attachment (or Word .doc) of people’s annual Christmas newsletter. With rising costs of gasoline and postage stamps, this is the way things are going to be for a while.
Our version is less wordy and image-y this year. So to you and yours, a very Merry Christmas!
[update] with over 2,500 emails in my Gmail address book, there’s no way I can personally address each e-card to my friends and family. So this is my catch-all.
And, if you’re also tired of the consumerism of the season, join the Advent Conspiracy to restore the meaning of Christmas, its worship, compassion, joy, peace, and goodwill to all.
[AC] Advent Conspiracy from Jon Collins on Vimeo.
Merry Christmas via e-Card
I’ve just finished sending out our Christmas cards (handmade e-cards) to friends and family. I scrolled through our haphazard address book in Gmail Contacts and bcc’d probably 200 or 300 people. Dozens of hard bounces, so have a lot of updating to do in the new year. The thing about Christmas e-cards is you can hang them with the other Christmas cards on the Christmas tree or along the mantle. But, you’re welcome to print it out. 
As much as I’m into networking and relating across the country and a little around the world, I don’t have a good way to organize my contacts and emails. Time in California has been great so far, met up with lots of great people, including Aaron “thevoiz” Flores and Keith (of Keith and Dave and RenCom) Page. Meeting up with Ray Chang for lunch today. My son Jeremiah wants to come along to meet the pastor who dedicated him. Might even drop in on Rudy if he’s around.
why Santa wears red
No, Santa’s not part of the Red campaign. I heard on the morning radio with Casey Kasem that Santa Claus was a popular folk lore for decades, dressed in blue or yellow, often skinny and tall. And then in 1931, Coca-Cola did an ad campaign with a chubby red-suited Santa Claus, which matches the Coca-Cola colors, and now it’s become part of pop culture. The power of advertising at work — not only is the Coke brand (one of?) the most recognized around the world, it’s also shaped the image of Santa Claus as we know it.
This excerpt is from the Coca-Cola website:
Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like — jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.
2006 marks the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising.
But the crack research team at Snopes deconstructs the legend and declares it not entirely true:
This legend is not true. Although some versions of the Santa Claus figure still had him attired in various colors of outfits past the beginning of the 20th century, the jolly, ruddy, sack-carrying Santa with a red suit and flowing white whiskers had become the standard image of Santa Claus by the 1920s, several years before Sundlom drew his first Santa illustration for Coca-Cola. As The New York Times reported on 27 November 1927: “A standardized Santa Claus appears to New York children. Height, weight, stature are almost exactly standardized, as are the red garments, the hood and the white whiskers. The pack full of toys, ruddy cheeks and nose, bushy eyebrows and a jolly, paunchy effect are also inevitable parts of the requisite make-up.” … All this isn’t to say that Coca-Cola didn’t have anything to do with cementing that image of Santa Claus in the public consciousness. The Santa image may have been standardized before Coca-Cola adopted it for their advertisements, but Coca-Cola had a great deal to do with establishing Santa Claus as a ubiquitous Christmas figure in America at a time when the holiday was still making the transition from a religious observance to a largely secular and highly commercial celebration. I
Now I’m off for Dallas for 10 days…
Whole lotta Christ’s Birthday Celebrations
Scot “Jesus Creed” McKnight makes a gracious appeal in When Christmas falls on Sunday that Christians of all people can and should show Good Will Toward Megachurches, those that have decided to celebrate a day (or two) earlier and to close on Sunday. I would add a Biblical proof text (for those that like the ipsissima verba) and an appeal on how celebrations often fall on the eve of a special day.
1. “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.” (Romans 14:5-6a)
2. Who celebrates New Year’s on New Year’s Day? Celebrate on the Eve or earlier, at hundreds of Christmas Celebrations before Sunday, December 25th, 2005 [multiple services]:
Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL) [8]
Southland Christian Church (Nicholasville, KY) [4]
Crossroads Christian Church (Lexington, KY) [3]
Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX) [11]
Watermark Community Church (Dallas, TX) [2]
Redemption World Outreach Center (Greenville, SC) [2 live, 6 streamed online]
Seacoast Church (Charleston, SC and other locations) [16]
North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) [3]
Grace Fellowship Church (Timonium, MD) [5]
Church of the Redeemer (Gaithersburg, MD) [4]
Northview Christian Life Church (Carmel, IN) [5]
Grace Community Church (Noblesville, IN) [6]
Calvary Chapel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) [9]
Christ Fellowship (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) [13]
Flamingo Road Church (Fort Lauderdale, FL) [5]
Christ the Rock Community Church (Cooper City, FL) [4]
RockHarbor (Costa Mesa, CA) [7]
Northland, A Church Distributed (Longwood, FL) [10]
Kensington Community Church (Troy, MI) [18]
Bridgeway Community Church (Columbia, MD) [6]
Grace Community Church (Columbia, MD) [6]
Reston Bible Church (Reston, VA) [3]
Journey’s Crossing (Gaithersburg, MD) [2]
NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC) [5]
LifeChurch (locations in OK and AZ and TX) [20]
Neighborhood Church (Redding, CA) [4]
Center Point Church (North Richland Hills, TX) [3]
Revolution Church (Long Beach, CA) [2]
And even though Willow Creek Closes Doors on Christmas; Hybels Still to Preach on Sunday at a different church:
Two of the largest mega churches in the Chicago area will join hands this holiday season to hold what may possibly be the largest Christmas Day service in the nation. The Rev. Bill Hybels of Willowcreek Church will preach alongside the Rev. James Meeks of the House of Hope Church in Chicago. Together, the two churches have more than 30,000 members.
And here’s a flashy invite to experience Christmas Presence. I’ll see how many services I can experience, though probably short of 20. Merry Christmas to you and yours!