Author:  Jason is one of the editors at TM and is currently undertaking a BA in philosophy. Read more from him

From all our contributors, we want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas. It’s been an encouraging year for us, and I’d like to thank our readers for providing us with plenty of thought-provoking debate and discussion. As you prepare for the Christmas festivities — travel, bbqs, and the swapping of presents — may you take the chance to get beyond the romanticized picture of gentle shepherds and starry nights to reflect on the scandalous but intimate message of Christmas:  Christ has come. God Himself has entered history to display the power of His kingdom and restore the whole world. While we put ourselves in the place only he deserves to be, God has substituted Himself for us on the cross and put Himself where only man deserves to be. Whoever does, however, recognize Christ’s Lordship and relies on his perfect work and record (and not their own), that kingdom power can come upon them and begin to work through them.

If you are after some reading during the celebration, here are some links from around the interwebs (cookies and milk not included):

• Sharing Christ at Christmas.

• Understanding the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke.

• When was Jesus born?

• Is there a case for allowing children to believe in Santa?

• Should Christians fight over the secularization of Christmas?

• God in the manger? Understanding three aspects of Christology: Jesus as Lord, Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Treasure.

• Albert Mohler on how Christmas began not at Bethlehem, but before the creation of the world.

• Why is Christmas on December 25? William J. Tighe at the Touchstone journal and The Biblical Archaeology Review consider the question.

• Is ‘Xmas’ irreverant? R.C. Sproul comments.

• Douglas Geivett offers a great list of Christmas-related fiction here and here.

Related posts:

1. Thinking Matters Journal, Issue #1: Introducing Apologetics
2. Thinking Matters Auckland 003
3. The purpose of Thinking Matters and apologetics
4. An update on issue 1 of the Thinking Matters Journal
5. Thinking Matters Auckland 001