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Category: Christmas (Page 1 of 5)

No Gift to Bring

December 29, 2025 / / 0 Comments

What an indescribable joy to have all the girls, all the sons-in-law, and all the grandsons for five nights and parts of six days over Christmas. We ate our favorite foods, watched the right movie on the correct night, worshiped together at GCR, walked the lights at Centennial Park, gave and received generous and fun gifts, survived a broken garage door and a busted exterior water faucet, played ping-pong, fed the boys their first ever bites of Blue Bell Cookies n Cream, and gave ourselves headaches laughing so hard during five rounds of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.

I thank God for our family and for the time he gives us to spend together. Blessings upon blessings of his grace. Thank you, Lord.

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The lyrics to The Little Drummer Boy are sparse. What words we have are so crowded out by all the “pa-rum-pum-pum-pums” that it’s hard to tell what’s really happening. But when the young boy peers into the manger, the newborn King he sees causes the drummer to say, “I am a poor boy, too; I have no gift to bring.”

We’ve all experienced that moment. We begin to seriously consider Jesus, maybe for the first time in a long time, maybe for the first time ever. We seriously seek Jesus. And something happens. We believe. Really. We understand. Truly. Something clicks. The dots are connected. The light bulb flashes on. And you realize your bankruptcy is totally exposed. You really see Jesus and you really comprehend his glory and you look at yourself and realize, “I am broken. I am empty and poor. I’ve got nothing to bring this King that even comes close to what is due him. All I have is this drum.”

Like the little boy in the Gospels who approaches Jesus and says, “All I have is my lunch, two loaves and five tiny fish.”

Like the widow and her two mites. Jesus says she gave more than all the others combined.

That’s us. We’re the ones who feel completely inadequate and, in some sense, we always will. When we see the King and we understand exactly who he is and his eternal significance, we can’t help but sense our own frailty. Our own poverty. All we have is this drum. What in the world could ever be enough for this King? I’ve just got this drum.

So you ask. “Do you want that? Do you want this stupid drum?”

And Jesus says, “Yes. Bring me your nothing. Play your drum.”

So you play it for him. You play your best for him–declaring that you are small, acknowledging that you are weak, knowing that he doesn’t need you or what you have or what you do. But with all that you are, with every ounce and speck of the nothing you have, you are giving it to him. Like Psalm 103, you are praising the Lord with all your inmost being! You are giving it to him!

“Then he smiled at me; me and my drum.”

The eternal King of Glory, the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, comes here to us as a helpless flesh-and-blood human baby. He put aside his power and his status and his position to give to us. By his life of love, his sacrificial death, and his glorious resurrection. our King gives us forgiveness, he reconciles us to a righteous relationship with our God and with one another, he gives us his divine peace and joy and life. He gives us abundant life, life to the full.

“Apart from me you can do nothing… Remain in my love… I am telling you this so my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete… You are my friends… I have called you friends… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.” ~John 15:5-17

Without Jesus, you and I have nothing. We are nothing. But because of Jesus, because he came, because he was born in that stable in Bethlehem on that starry night, because of him, we are absolutely, completely, and wonderfully his. Me and my drum–all his!

Jesus is not nearly as interested in my presents for him as my presence with him. That’s all he wants. He wants me. He wants you. Give yourself to him. Give all of yourself to Jesus. And feel his smile.

May we all see the newborn King with fresh eyes and open hearts. And may we follow his lead. Let’s trade our cravings for power for a desire to sacrifice. Let’s be identified by our patience with others, by our service to the least of these, and by our unconditional love for our neighbors. And let’s adopt the humble attitude of the Little Drummer Boy and receive the gracious gift of Jesus.

Peace,
Allan

By the Chimney with Care

December 23, 2025 / / 0 Comments

We’re gonna need a bigger mantel.

My Christmas shopping is done, the sermon for our GCR Christmas Eve service is written and practiced and ready to go, the kids and grandsons and two dogs are coming in tonight, the egg nog is chilling in the fridge, and I’m ready for Christmas. To get yourself ready, give this video a watch. This is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing their hit “Christmas All Over Again.”

The song was part of the “A Very Special Christmas” project in the 1990s that raised money for Special Olympics and this performance was during the “A Very Special Christmas” TV special filmed at the White House. It’s one of the very rare times Tom Petty sported short hair–maybe the only time. It’s a great song with a catchy tune, a nice hook, and subtle lyrics–like all Tom Petty songs. About the “distant relatives” he hasn’t seen in a while, Tom sings, “I kinda miss ’em; I just don’t wanna kiss ’em.” Enjoy.

Peace,
Allan

The Impossible Happened

December 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

God accomplishes your salvation–the salvation of the whole world–through the birth of a baby. Immanuel. God with us. It is the single most remarkable thing that’s ever happened in the history of the universe.

It’s impossible.

God is immortal. God is eternal and holy and transcendent. He is infinite. It is impossible for God to become a human. To put on our flesh and blood and skin and bones, to eat and drink, to breathe air, to sneeze and get mosquito bites and hiccups–it is impossible. God Almighty cannot make his dwelling with us. We are human and frail and fallible and sinful. We are mortal created beings. God can only be us, he can only be with us, metaphorically. This is only symbolic. The barriers of time and space and divinity are too great.

Wrong! It happened! The impossible happened!

The incarnation of God, in the flesh and blood of a helpless human baby born to peasants in a barn really did happen. It is a most astounding and literal and historical and factual event. He came. He did! It’s real! The Creator became one of the created. The immortal became mortal. The eternally righteous became sin. God is with us to save us!

When we look at the baby Jesus in the manger, we realize this is not a messenger or an ambassador sent from God to earth. This is actually God himself in physical flesh. God doesn’t just send help from heaven, he actually comes here himself and bears our burdens in himself. He doesn’t just look down on us in love, he actually joins us here in our broken spaces. He walks our streets and touches our people. He hugs our kids and eats with us and loves us. And he brings with him the eternal Kingdom of God, this kingdom of everlasting peace, of which there will be no end.

Jesus comes and hurting people are comforted. Distressed people are encouraged. Hopeless people are given hope. Prisoners are released. Captives are given their freedom. Outcasts are brought in. Cold people are made warm. Hungry people are fed. Sick people are made well. Sinful people are forgiven. The devil’s grip on you is broken forever! Sin and death and all the things that steal your peace and your joy are obliterated forever! The weak are given power and the tired are made to soar on the wings of eagles!

All your fears, all your pains, all your sins and brokenness–it’s all met head-on in Jesus Christ and dealt with forever. All your hopes and dreams, everything you know as good and right and true–it’s all found in Jesus and delivered.

God has been born to us. He has come to us. He made himself subject to pain and suffering so he can comfort and heal. He makes himself open to loss while he is mighty to save. He is vulnerable to death in order to bring eternal life. He walks through your darkness, with you in the darkness, and shines his eternal salvation light.

It’s impossible. And it happened.

Peace,
Allan

Despite the Ruins Around Us

December 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our grandsons are five months old today. Elliott (left) has two bottom teeth now and weighs in at a whopping 16 pounds, while Samuel (right) is maintaining his one pound deficit at 15. Samuel’s hair, when the light hits it just right, looks like a Mohawk. Elliott is working hard on a way to shove his entire fist into his mouth. And they’re both laughing and giggling or making other happy noises almost all the time. What a delight! These boys continue to bring me so much joy!

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer sent a Christmas card to his parents from his cell at Tegel Prison in Berlin on November 28, 1943. The front of the card pictured this above nativity scene painted by Albrecht Altdorfer in 1513. In the card, Bonhoeffer says this is his favorite depiction of the nativity:

“One sees the holy family huddled around the manger amidst the rubble of a collapsed house. This is really contemporary.”

At the time, this painting was 430 years old. I’m sure it reminded Bonhoeffer of the destruction in his own country, the bombed out houses and buildings in his own hometown. This picture could have been painted almost anywhere in Europe in the middle of World War II. And what Bonhoeffer wrote about it during Advent 1943 could have been written today during Advent 2025:

“The celebration of Advent is only possible to those troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come. We can and should celebrate Christmas despite the ruins around us. In fact, we must do this even more intensely now.”

Lord, come quickly.
Allan

Looking and Waiting

December 2, 2025 / / 0 Comments

The Dallas Stars finally unveiled their brand new alternate sweater in Friday’s win over Utah and wore the new/old uniform again in Sunday’s rout of the Ottawa Senators. And they look so great. The design is almost an exact replica of the uniform the Stars wore during their Stanley Cup runs in the late ’90s and early 2000s and, by far, my favorite Stars look. There’s more black than green in this re-imagined version, and there’s no gold outline, no gold anywhere. But, man, I love the unique look of that sweater, the big and bold Lone Star feel to the whole thing. It goes very well with the way the team is playing right now.

If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for me, they’re selling these things.

Check out the release video here, if not for Razor’s narration, for the sight of a gracefully-aged Brett Hull rockin’ the new sweater in front of an empty net. Is his foot in the crease?

“My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the nations and for glory to your people Israel.” ~Luke 2:30-32

The old man Simeon is looking at a baby, but he sees salvation from God. Anna is gazing at an infant, but she sees God’s deliverance.

“She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” ~Luke 2:38

You know why they saw it? You know why they recognized it? Because they were looking for it. The Scripture says they were waiting for the promised consolation, they were looking forward to the promised redemption. Anticipating it. Expecting it. Laying awake at night like a little kid on Christmas Eve. I can’t sleep because I can’t wait. It’s all I’m thinking about. Longing and yearning.

That’s Christian hope.

Our Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It’s a confident leaning, or even leaping, into the promise of God that he will one day make all things right. Something has happened that has changed our lives and redirected our destinies. Something has happened that changes everything. The holy Son of God came to this earth in our flesh and blood. He came! He did!

And he’s coming again. He is! He will! That’s the hope we’ve been given. That’s the hope we have.

And it’s real. Hope is real. Hope does not ignore anxiety and doubt and fear, it doesn’t ignore the bad stuff; it confronts it. Hope holds you steady in the face of the fear and anxiety and doubt by the conviction that truly great has happened and something even greater is going to happen again.

Hope waits for his coming. But it waits in a certain way.

Luke describes Simeon as righteous. He was living in peace with our God and with his neighbors. He was seeking the welfare of others. He was acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. The Bible also says Simeon was devout. He was devoted to our God, he was committed to tackling the tasks the Lord had given him in a way to honor God. Anna is also righteous and devout. She’s described as worshiping and fasting and praying. Both of them are at home with God’s people in God’s house and being led by God’s Spirit.

Waiting and looking.

There were others at the temple that day who did not see God’s salvation in the holy infant. They hadn’t been hopefully longing for it. They hadn’t been waiting and looking. Maybe they were just going through the motions. Maybe they were just in maintenance mode. They were at the temple when they had to be. They prayed to God and read his Word when they remembered to. They spent most of their time at work, chasing their career. They worried about getting rich, or just breaking even. They were overly-consumed with parenting their children or improving their house. Or maybe they were too occupied with what it takes to just get through the end of each day.

At the end of Luke 19, Jesus weeps over the people who missed it: “You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:44).

What are you waiting for in your life because of Jesus? Something out of the ordinary is in store for you. What do you see? Can you see the darkness in your circumstance being turned to light? Can you see the despair in your situation being turned to joy? Can you see the boring and mundane parts of your life being filled with excitement and purpose for our God and his salvation mission? The reality of what’s coming for you–better, who is coming for you–should compel you to a deeper devotion to God. And a life lived every hour of every day in breathless anticipation of his promises for you coming true.

Let us adopt the attitude of Jacob who prayed, “I look for your deliverance, O Lord” (Genesis 49:18). Let us commit to the way of the psalmist who sang, “I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands” (Psalm 119:166). Don’t miss it. Don’t be preoccupied with something else. Don’t be distracted by less important things and miss it.

Let us live like Simeon and Anna. Looking and waiting.

Peace,
Allan

Lights from a Limo

December 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Both the younger girls and our sons-in-law were in Midland for the  long holiday weekend to observe the Stanglin family Christmas traditions. We brought our daughters up decorating the tree on a certain day, watching certain Christmas movies, drinking egg nog and Dr Pepper at certain times, and those things naturally evolve into traditions we’ve done our best to keep. But I’ve only realized recently that we’ve raised three strict legalists! These girls are pretty hard core when it comes to our Christmas traditions–there’s no budging on any of it! We watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” the day after Thanksgiving, not Albert Finney’s “Scrooge.” We eat Mexican food after we decorate the tree, not on Christmas Eve. So I really didn’t know what to do for Sunday night.

On Christmas Eve we go out to Longhorn Steakhouse and then drive around the city looking at the best Christmas lights, before watching “Scrooge,” eating popcorn and drinking the Dr Pepper Nog, opening the new pajamas, and reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I’m telling you, it’s a production. There’s a silly Stanglin family dance that happens after the movie, too, but I’m not detailing any of that here.

Well, this is the first time we’ve had seven people to accommodate. We can’t fit seven people in any one of our cars and we can’t take two cars to look at lights–that won’t work. We thought about borrowing a church van and then quickly remembered what our church vans are like. So what do we do?

We surprised the whole family with a limousine!

It was worth the price as soon as we opened the front door and everybody saw it, idling in front of our house, waiting to escort us on our Christmas Eve adventure. Those first two or three minutes were awesome! We took the pics, piled in, plugged in the traditional Stanglin family Christmas CD, and laughed and sang all the way to Longhorn Steakhouse. We pretended to be celebrities. Somebody made a prom joke. After we ordered, we watched the Dolphins drive the length of the field and kick the game-winning field goal against the Cowboys on Collin’s phone (yes!), ate a fantastic meal together, and then rode all over Midland looking at the lights.

It feels like a one-time thing. I need to iterate here in writing that it was definitely a one-time thing. This was a special memory, not the start of a new tradition. By this time next year, surely we’ll have a new church van.

Peace,

Allan

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