Jason E. Royle's Blog, page 18
January 19, 2016
The New Year
“And when Jesus had said these things, he went on ahead, going to Jerusalem.”
–Luke 19:28
“These things,” which Jesus had said, happen to have been in parables, but almost any day in the years of his ministry or any page in the Gospels could have ended with “he went on ahead, going to Jerusalem.” Before Jesus went ahead this time, he had trained followers to go with him, but whether they were close or whether he had to summon them from a distance, he was always “ahead” of his disciples.
T...
“These things,” which Jesus had said, happen to have been in parables, but almost any day in the years of his ministry or any page in the Gospels could have ended with “he went on ahead, going to Jerusalem.” Before Jesus went ahead this time, he had trained followers to go with him, but whether they were close or whether he had to summon them from a distance, he was always “ahead” of his disciples.
T...
January 2, 2016
Season of Epiphany
The season of Epiphany is when Christians celebrate the “shining forth” or revelation of God to humankind in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. It is a time of widening-light, of manifestation, of discovery. Epiphany is on January 6th. The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a commemoration of the birth of Christ.
Later, additional meanings were added - the visit of the Magi, Christ's baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle at...
Later, additional meanings were added - the visit of the Magi, Christ's baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle at...
December 21, 2015
Christmas Poem
Christmas Greeting
This greeting now comes your wayWith good wishes and a prayer,That you may have a blessed Christmas dayAs God’s gift of love you share.
May the Christmas message ringFrom within hearts of joy;Proclaiming how our gracious KingCame to earth as a little boy.
And may you know God’s wondrous peaceWithin the new year ahead;That God’s blessings may not cease,As by him you are daily led.
By: Judith Searle
This greeting now comes your wayWith good wishes and a prayer,That you may have a blessed Christmas dayAs God’s gift of love you share.
May the Christmas message ringFrom within hearts of joy;Proclaiming how our gracious KingCame to earth as a little boy.
And may you know God’s wondrous peaceWithin the new year ahead;That God’s blessings may not cease,As by him you are daily led.
By: Judith Searle
December 8, 2015
Counting Down the Days Until Christmas
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November 28, 2015
The Christmas Spirit: 5 Steps
The Christmas Spirit: 5 StepsBy: Jason E. Royle
1) When you go from believing in the Christmas spirit: smiling faces, unexpected hugs, unwarranted acts of kindness, to storing the spirit of Christmas in your heart all year long—you have taken a spiritual step.
2) When you go from safeguarding love inside you to spreading the seeds of God’s love to those around you—you have taken a spiritual step.
3) When you go from needing "things" to needing something more, from wanting more...
1) When you go from believing in the Christmas spirit: smiling faces, unexpected hugs, unwarranted acts of kindness, to storing the spirit of Christmas in your heart all year long—you have taken a spiritual step.
2) When you go from safeguarding love inside you to spreading the seeds of God’s love to those around you—you have taken a spiritual step.
3) When you go from needing "things" to needing something more, from wanting more...
November 23, 2015
O' Little Town of Bethlehem
Jesus was born in a specific place, a Judean sheep-town that can be located on a map and visited in person. The good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ therefore is not a kind of “once upon a time in a Disney movie” story, but the account of real people in real places.
In Hebrew, the name Bethlehem means “a house of bread.” Think about it. The village where Jesus was born was named after a human need as basic as eating.
Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us that our Christmasti...
In Hebrew, the name Bethlehem means “a house of bread.” Think about it. The village where Jesus was born was named after a human need as basic as eating.
Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us that our Christmasti...
November 17, 2015
She Gave Her All
One Sunday morning a mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. So she gave her daughter a quarter and a dollar to put in the offering plate during church."Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself," she told her.
When church was over, as they were walking to the car, the mother asked her daughter what amount she had put in the offering plate. “Well,” said the girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the offering plate was...
When church was over, as they were walking to the car, the mother asked her daughter what amount she had put in the offering plate. “Well,” said the girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the offering plate was...
November 7, 2015
Blind Bartimaeus
“Rabbi,” blind Bartimaeus pleaded, “I want to be healed.”
That’s a hard thing for some of us to do, isn’t it? Ask.
Asking can be difficult; it’s a humbling experience, but that’s part of being in relationship with others. There are times when we all need help. To not ask for help when we need it is in some respects being self-absorbed, it is...
That’s a hard thing for some of us to do, isn’t it? Ask.
Asking can be difficult; it’s a humbling experience, but that’s part of being in relationship with others. There are times when we all need help. To not ask for help when we need it is in some respects being self-absorbed, it is...
October 28, 2015
Famous Last Words
Famous Last Words
Franz Hayden (1732-1809), composer:“Cheer up, children, I’m all right.”
James Joyce(1882-1941), Irish novelist:“Does anybody understand?”
On a Tombstone in Arizona :Here liesLester MooreFour slugsFrom a 44No LesNo more
Lucy Stone(1818-93), American suffragette:“Make the world better.”
William Tyndale(1491-1536), English translator of the Bible. At the stake:“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679), English philosopher:“I am about to take my last long voyage...
Franz Hayden (1732-1809), composer:“Cheer up, children, I’m all right.”
James Joyce(1882-1941), Irish novelist:“Does anybody understand?”
On a Tombstone in Arizona :Here liesLester MooreFour slugsFrom a 44No LesNo more
Lucy Stone(1818-93), American suffragette:“Make the world better.”
William Tyndale(1491-1536), English translator of the Bible. At the stake:“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679), English philosopher:“I am about to take my last long voyage...
October 15, 2015
Halloween: Good or Bad?
Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival. Today it is a holiday that gives people a chance to display their Halloween decorations, go to haunted theme parks and play imaginary dress-up.
The tradition of dressing-up in a costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago winter was a difficult, worrisome time. Simply getting in your car and going to get groceries at a local grocery...
The tradition of dressing-up in a costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago winter was a difficult, worrisome time. Simply getting in your car and going to get groceries at a local grocery...
