Getting Christmas Right
Rev. Howard Sloan

To Get Christmas Right, You Have to First Get Christ Right
If you get Christ wrong, you get Christmas wrong. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ….14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-3, 14

We must see Christmas as the entrance of God into the sphere of human life for the purpose of redemption. To see Him as anything other than fully God and fully man is to get Christmas wrong

To Get Christmas Right, You Need to Get the Purpose Right
The angels say to the shepherds in Luke 2:11. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Jesus did not come just to be an example, He came to be a Savior. In Matthew 1:20 we read these words:

“But as he (Joseph) considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’.”

That is the purpose of Christmas. I hope you don’t tire of hearing that. We needed a perfect man to be a perfect sacrifice. Only God Himself could fit that role.

That is the purpose of Christ in Christmas.

To Get Christmas Right, You Need to Get Yourself Right
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13).

Christmas is more than about gifts, meals, and parties. It's about more than God coming to earth. It's about God coming to earth so that we might become children of God. If you want to celebrate Christmas right, it begins by making sure that you are right with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your time with your families . . .

Soli Deo Gloria

It Was This Month Long, Long Ago . . .

It's difficult to set an exact date when the Reformation actually began. But, if we were to have an annual memorial to this great event, it would have to be October 31st. It was on that date in 1517 that a young monk named Martin Luther boldly stepped up to the door of the Castle Church in the town of Wittenberg in Germany and nailed his famous "Ninety-five Theses of Religion" to that door. In his theses Luther denounced the sale of "The Pope's Indulgence", a paper which gave direct forgiveness from the Pope for those who had sinned, or ever would sin. Through the purchase of these Indulgences, the faithful were told that they could free the souls of the loved ones now in the pains of "Purgatory", and assure forgiveness for them and themselves.

When Luther was asked to recant on his teachings, he responded with these famous words: "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

Click here to see Martin Luther's speech at the Diet of Worms

There were four basic doctrines the reformers believed the Roman Catholic Church to be in error. These four questions or doctrines are:

1. How is a person saved?
2. Where does religious authority lie?
3. What is the church?
4. What is the essence of Christian living?

In answering these questions, the Reformers established what became known as the “Five Solas” of the Reformation (sola being the Latin word for “alone”). These five points were the heart of the Protestant Reformation, and it was for these five essential Biblical doctrines that the Reformers would take their stand against the Roman Catholic Church, resisting the demands placed on them to recant, even to the point of death.

Let's mark October as "Reformation Month" on our calenders and remember those who went before us to bring us the freedom we have to celebrate our faith. In this celebration we find not only the priviledge of studying theology, but the necessity.

Soli De Gloria

We've Only Just Begun . . .

It's been a long time coming. God has been speaking to me about this for some time now, so I finally listen and reached out to a number of Pastors and church leaders in the area to get a sense of the interest level here in Alberta Canada.

I am very happy to say we are now in the birthing stages of forming the very first Reformation Society in Canada - beginning here in Alberta.

For those of you not familiar with Reformation Societies, we are a ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Our mission is to encourage, embolden, and equip ministers and other church leaders for the work of Biblical reformation in the churches. Our purpose is to create societies of Christian pastors and leaders who will meet and labour together for the sake of the Gospel of Grace in the churches of local and regional areas. We seek to be of one mind in the Lord beyond our individual church and denominational affiliations. To this end we envision informal, voluntary Reformation Societies, where church leaders will meet for the joining of hearts and minds in pursuit of actual and practical reformation in their churches. We rely fully upon the Gospel as the particular means given by the Triune God for the building of Christ's Church. By "the Gospel" we mean the scriptural teachings necessary for salvation. These teachings brought forth the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and have been articulated by the "Solas" in the Cambridge Declaration of 1996. Local Reformation Societies will aim to strengthen those already committed to the Gospel of God in its content, authority, and sufficiency for all the work of the Church. They will also provide a reformation presence to which other church leaders may come to learn of the "Solas", and to discuss various issues and challenges coming to bear on evangelical churches today. The biblical theme for the Reformation Societies is: "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood." (Acts 20:26-28, ESV) It must be emphasized that the cause to which we are rallying is that of the Gospel itself, and not particular denominational concerns or disputes that we might be of the same mind, in the Lord.

If you are a pastor or church leader here in Alberta and would like more information or to join us in the work, please do not hesitate to contact us at: lesmarchands@xplornet.com. We would love to hear from you.

Soli Deo Gloria