What if the term "Christmas and Easter Christians" was actually a good thing? That is, it referred to those who could not think of our Savior's birth without thinking of His death and resurrection - for there could not be the latter without the former. That's what today's TDP readings have brought together - a passage from Jeremiah that provoked thoughts of Christmas, with its reference to the Son of David who was to come and reign as King (not to mention shepherds in the fields with their flocks), and Matthew's passage leading to our Lord's crucifixion. The writing from Walther, while more directly related to the NT writing, certainly can be applied to the OT reading, with the theme of places of curses becoming the places of blessing.
Pastor Weedon spotted another important connection between the readings.
Good connections... I dodn't make them this morning.....btu now I see it..... thanks!
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing once that in the early years of the Christian faith, Christmas and Easter were the most controversial celebrations. Christmas: God became man, taking on human flesh. Easter: God DIED and rose again. So someone who celebrated those events in the early church would have been showing just how different their faith was from that of the cultures which surrounded them, and being a "Christmas and Easter" Christian would have been a mark of distinction.
ReplyDelete... your little sister.