Chuck Larsen

You will look in vain to find an Old Testament prophecy that specifically states that the Messiah will live in Nazareth or will be called a Nazarene. But when you come to understand the meaning of this phrase you see it’s the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies. The Old Testament prophecy that was fulfilled is that the Messiah would be despised and rejected of men. Nazareth was esteemed of small account, and so were its citizens, the Nazarenes. One of the disciples asked, expecting a negative answer, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth of Galilee?” Of course not! He knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah but couldn’t quite understand how the Messiah could come from such a lowly place as Nazareth. It was the last post before entering gentile territory in the northern regions of Galilee and no respectable Israelite would live that close to the world. The powerful, the prestigious, the rich looked down upon the Galilean residence and especially those of Nazareth. View full article »

Did you finish your Christmas shopping? I think I’m about done! Maybe one or two more gifts and I’ll have it. I love the idea of “gift giving” at Christmas. It does represent a generous spirit that was pictures by the gracious gifts of the magi who came to Jesus at the first Christmas. They brought some very valuable presents. If gold was as valuable then as it is today, it represents the most precious gift of all. We probably don’t appreciate the worth of frankincense and Myrrh but as they are in company with gold we can assume they too were extremely valuable. View full article »

The Herod Syndrome is still around. There is a national movement to eliminate “Christmas” from this holiday season. Most public organizations use “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas.” I noticed that in Sunday’s World Herald, either intentional or not, they misspelled Christmas! Not in an obscure tiny fine print article, but in a half inch high headline. It was “Chrismas.” I wondered if leaving out the “T” could have been symbolic of leaving out the cross of Christ, which is truly the major reason for the celebration of the birth of the savior. It was what he accomplished for us on the cross, that demands our greatest praise and celebration. View full article »

As we celebrate the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, this week, it’s interesting to notice that in the Christmas narrative we find that that angel who addressed the shepherd announced the birth of God’s son by saying, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The phrase “for all the people” is a very important phrase. View full article »

C. S. Lewis defined hope in so many words as “a continual looking forward to something better.” This describes the Magi. They saw a star! That’s it? They looked beyond the earthly to the heavenly and were willing to take a step of faith. The star of Christmas always points to a better future. The Magi expected to find a better future. I’ve wondered what pushed them on mile after mile. Surely travel was not something comfortable and convenient in those days. Yet, they came to Jerusalem, where one would natural expect to find the King of the Jews, and inquired of others for his whereabouts. Christ holds the answers to life and a brighter future. Ask and you will receive! Seek and you shall find! Knock and it will be opened unto you! View full article »

The Angel told Joseph that Mary’s conception was supernatural and that she’d bear a son. The Angel told him what to name the baby: “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus means “salvation.” View full article »

In verse 20 of Matthew Chapter 1, we see the first of three “fear nots” associated with the Christmas narrative. The first one was to Mary when the Angel informed her that she would bear a son out of wedlock, without knowing a man. The Angel informed Mary not to be afraid of the humanly impossible feat. “How can this be?” Mary asked with a tremble in her voice. But the Angel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. …For nothing will be impossible with God.” That’s good to remember when we face what’s humanly impossible. View full article »

Several things are said about Joseph in Verse 19 of Matthew Chapter 1: he’s a “just man.” He doesn’t want to shame Mary yet decides to break off the engagement. View full article »