It is estimated that Charles Wesley wrote over 6500 hymns. Perhaps his best-known hymn is “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.” Over the years it has been edited slightly, but the meaning and theology remains as he wrote it more than two centuries ago.

It begins with a proclamation of the birth of Jesus: “Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

The hymn reminds us why Christ came to earth. Jesus came into the world to bring peace, but many who sing this song fail to realize that it was to bring peace between us and God. Wesley’s hymn reminds us that His birth was so that God and sinners would be reconciled. We are the sinners in this hymn, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All we like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). We have broken God’s commandments and need to be reconciled with God. This was done when Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3).

This hymn by Charles Wesley goes on to describe who Jesus Christ is. “Christ by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the Virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.”

This is the wonder of the Incarnation. Jesus (the second person of the Trinity) became the “offspring of the Virgin’s womb.” God became man and was “veiled in flesh” even though He was the “incarnate Deity.” Jesus was our Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel means “God with us.” So even though Jesus became man, he did not lose His deity.

This Christmas week, let us once again reflect upon the Incarnation. How wonderful yet mysterious that God would become man and dwell among us. And that He would be willing to die on a cross for our sins.

This is Christmas week, and so I thought we might reflect on the hymn, “O Holy Night” by John Dwight.

“O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”

Jesus came into the world to save us and so we feel valuable and our soul feels its worth. Perhaps the most quoted verse in the Bible is John 3:16. It tells us that Jesus came because “God so loved the world.” He came so that our souls would feel their worth to God.

This hymn also asks us to consider the fact that the King of kings was born as a human infant and placed in a manger. He also experienced temptation and persecution. Ultimately he died a horrible death on the cross.

“The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our Friend. He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King, before Him lowly bend.”

Isn’t amazing that there were some who were willing to worship him even while merely a babe in a manger. The hymn this talks about how we should respond to one another in humility.

“Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, And in His name all oppression shall cease.”

We no longer have slavery in this country, but many people are still enslaved to various forms of sin and need Jesus as their Savior. And we as believers are to model the humility that Jesus demonstrated when He stepped out of eternity into time and gave up His rights as God.

This is a message we not only need at Christmas, but every day.

Since Christmas is next week, I thought it might be worthwhile to spend a moment to reflect on the words to the hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” It was written in 1867 by Phillips Brooks (an Episcopal pastor from Philadelphia). He had been in Israel two years earlier and had celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem. He wrote this song to reflect on what the night of the birth of Jesus might have been like.

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

While the streets of our cities are quiet on Christmas day, most likely that day was just like any other day for the people in Bethlehem. But as evening came, the town grew quiet and something remarkable took place.

In the second verse the hymn says, “While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.” This is just like today. Our world goes about its business, usually oblivious to the spiritual realities around it.

Jesus came into the world quietly. Yes, there was the angelic announcement to the shepherds, but most other people were unaware of the fact that the most significant event in history was taking place. God became a man. But he was born in a stable and laid in a feeding trough. There was no pomp or circumstance as you would expect of a King.

Jesus came not only to live among us but to ultimately die for our sins. He took upon Himself the sins of the world (your sins and my sins) and paid the ultimate penalty that we deserved to pay that we might have everlasting life.

During this Christmas week, I hope you will stop long enough to consider what happened in that little town of Bethlehem. But even more so, I hope you will think about what Jesus did for you at Calvary.

The last few weeks of budget negotiations hit a snag over the funding of the farm bill. The debate was over the funding of food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The holiday season is probably not the best time to discuss food stamps since any proposed reduction or revision can easily be attacked as being insensitive to people’s needs during Christmas.

Nevertheless, it is worth taking a look at this government program that has grown so large in just the last decade. Michael Tanner writes about “Five Food-Stamp Myths.” One myth is that the increase in food stamp spending is due to the recession. While studies do show an increase in food stamps during the recession, much of the increase occurred under George W. Bush. In fact, the costs and number of recipients doubled during his time in office.

Another myth is that food stamps reduce hunger. Michael Tanner says that it is “hard to imagine that the government could spend $83 billion per year without having some impact on hunger in America.” Yet the Government Accounting Office found that “the literature is inconclusive regarding whether SNAP alleviates hunger and malnutrition for low-income households.”

Another myth is that food stamps “are just a temporary safety net, not a form of dependency.” While that may be true for many, nearly 56 percent of households on food stamps have been on the program for five years or longer. An estimated 4.5 million recipients are able-bodied adults. That is why many in Congress wanted to restore the programs work requirements.

Another myth is the belief that food stamps “are an effective economic stimulus.” The Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture could not determine whether the additional dollars in the previous food stamp expansion in the stimulus bill were making any economic difference.

A clear-head look at these myths illustrate why the food stamp program needs revision. Unfortunately, it is hard to debate these issues during the holidays when supporters of the status quo accuse others of bringing hunger and hardship to the poor during the Christmas season.

Generosity is good for the soul. Now, you might merely think that is a spiritual

lesson. But there is growing evidence that actually people who donate to charity are

happier and healthier. That’s the conclusion of Arthur Brooks, president of the American

Enterprise Institute.

I have quoted from him and his book, Who Really Cares? He wrote that many

years ago when he was a professor at Syracuse University. He has continued to follow

giving patterns and discovered even more about people who give and how it affects them

in positive ways.

He and many others have documented that Americans are givers. Last year

various non-profit charities and houses of worship received more than $316 billion. More

than 70 percent of these voluntary gifts were donated by individuals and families.

Americans give away more than the entire GDP of Israel and Denmark.

As you might predict, contributions increase as wealth and income increase.

Giving also increases with age and education. Women give more than men. Married

people give more than singles. Religious Americans give more than secularists.

We are also finding that giving and happiness are strongly correlated. But does

giving cause happiness, or do happy people just give more? Giving brings happiness.

One study concluded “the amount subjects spend on themselves was inconsequential to

happiness, while spending on others yielded significant happiness gains.”

Other studies show an improvement in health. One study found that “volunteering

significantly lowers the association between stressful events and death.” Another study

found that altruistic teenagers are physically and mentally healthier later in their lives

than their less generous peers.” Yet another study found that dedicated volunteers live

longer than those who do not volunteer their time.

Generosity is not only good for the soul. It turns out that it is good for your

mental and physical wellbeing. People who give and give generously are happier and

healthier.

Over the last few months, Americans have been questioning the validity of the

statement: “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” Dr. Merrill Matthews (in

an article in Forbes) has been asking this question: “Will you even be able to find a

doctor?” America has been facing a doctor shortage for some time. There is reason to

believe that Obamacare is making that problem much worse.

The Association of American Medical Colleges warns that the nation will face a

shortage of 91,500 physicians by 2020. As I have mentioned in previous commentaries,

you don’t turn these numbers around quickly. Even if you could increase the number of

students in medical school today, you wouldn’t see any appreciable impact for more than

a decade. The educational pipeline to create a doctor takes years of medical education,

internship, and residency.

We aren’t just talking about doctors certified with medical specialties. The

Annals of Family Medicine predict a primary care physician shortage of 52,000 by 2025.

Older doctors are leaving the medical field early because they are fed up with federal and

state regulations and bureaucracy. They have had enough.

The additional regulations imposed by Obamacare are hastening the departure of

doctors. Add to this the problems associated with Medicaid and Medicare. More and

more doctors are refusing to take Medicaid and Medicare patients because of the low

reimbursement payments and bureaucratic hassles. Each year the Centers for Medicare

and Medicaid Services (CMS) report the annual exodus of thousands of doctors from the

Medicaid-Medicare system.

These doctors are also likely to refuse to take patients under Obamacare. A

survey of the New York Medical Society found that nearly half (44%) of New York

doctors are not participating in Obamacare. And of those who are participating, three-
fourths are doing so because of existing insurance contracts.

The current debate should not be over the phrase: “If you like your doctor, you

can keep your doctor.” We should be even more concerned about finding a doctor.

Nearly every day we hear about another challenge to religious liberty. The latest

story comes from an elementary school in Georgia. Teachers received an email that said

the following. “As of today, if you have a Bible verse on your school email and/or Bible

verse posted in the classroom, please remove it immediately.” The email went on to say:

“If a student-led prayer is initiated, you must remove yourself and step away from the

group.”

Apparently Bible verses, Christmas card displays, Bible screen savers, and

Christian music are all off-limits. The reason? The school received a complaint from

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Back in April, the group filed

a complaint about prayers at school events as well as teachers participating in the prayers.

Never mind that Americans United for the Separation of Church and State as well

as other similar organizations have usually been on the losing side when they call for

such “religious cleansing” of the classroom. Their complaint is usually intimidating

enough so that school leaders will just give into the pressure.

One teacher’s spouse, Mr. Cook, was so incensed that he formed a grassroots

organization to fight for religious liberty in the school. “I fear that if more of us do not

stand firm against the progressive cancer of political correctness that is eating way at our

society,” he warned, “we may not have much time left before we lose all religious

liberty.”

An attorney for the Liberty Institute flew to Georgia and spoke to a packed room

at the Board of Education. He argued that this is “viewpoint discrimination that the

school board is not permitted to engage in.” His comments brought many “Amens” from

those in the room.

Certainly Christian teachers, or any other teachers for that matter, should not

abuse their position when teaching elementary school children. But Christian teachers do

not lose their religious rights at the door to the classroom. This is one more example of

the need for Christians to exercise their religious rights.

About this time a year ago, I asked a simple question. How did we get to the

situation in which craft store giant Hobby Lobby was to be fined more than a million

dollars a day? The fines were supposed to be levied due to the Patient Protection and

Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. Although the fines were postponed, Hobby

Lobby has been in court and will be able to make its case before the Supreme Court.

Hobby Lobby has been an American success story. A business that started in an

Oklahoma garage has now grown to a business with $2 billion in sales and 13,500

employees working in 600 stores.

The Green family promotes biblical values in their company. They are debt-free

and donate 10 percent of the company’s income to charity. In their stores they play

Christian music and close on Sunday so their employees can spend time with church and

family. Hobby Lobby also pays well. They pay full-time employees a minimum wage of

$11 per hour.

All the Hobby Lobby employees are covered under the company’s self-insured

health plan. But they have a problem with one of the Obamacare mandates. The Green

family objects to being forced to pay for abortifacients like Plan B (the so-called morning

after pill) and Ella (the week after pill). The company is quite willing to provide good

health care for their employees but cannot in good conscience pay for abortion-inducing

drugs.

Some pro-abortion advocates have been spreading misinformation by saying that

Hobby Lobby is preventing women employees from having access to birth control. That

is not true. The Hobby Lobby health insurance plan covers nearly all of the

contraceptives approved by the FDA except the abortifacients just mentioned.

The case before the Supreme Court is whether the Obamacare mandate trump

religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Employees that want these abortifacients

could purchase them on their own. Hobby Lobby should not be forced to pay for them.

Hopefully the court will understand this and uphold religious freedom of conscience.