A Doll in the Manger and Christ at the Door

December 7, 2025Allen Frederick Leave a comment

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” — Isaiah 29:13

The sanctuary glowed with soft candlelight, the kind that makes even the most ordinary pews look holy. Pine garlands draped across the altar rail, their scent mingling with the faint sweetness of cider served in the fellowship hall. Children in wool scarves shuffled in, their cheeks red from the December wind, eyes wide with anticipation. Tonight was the living nativity.

Beyond the sanctuary doors, neighbors streamed in from the frosted streets, families bundled in scarves and mittens, children tugging at their parents’ hands. They came as pilgrims of Christmastide, drawn by tradition, eager to witness the pageant that had become a yearly ritual. For them, this was more than a performance—it was a seasonal pilgrimage, a chance to feel the warmth of belonging, to rehearse the story that had been told for centuries.

The choir hummed carols, voices rising like incense. A hush fell as the curtain opened: there it was, the manger scene. Mary in her blue robe, Joseph with his staff, shepherds bowing low, wise men bearing gifts. And at the center, swaddled in cloth, the baby Jesus—rosy-cheeked, perfectly still, lying in the cradle of straw. The crowd leaned forward, hearts warmed by nostalgia. Cameras clicked. Parents whispered, “Isn’t it beautiful?”

The ritual unfolded with precision. Scripture was read, candles lifted, hymns sung. The babe in its cradle, adored by all, a symbol of innocence and hope. The people smiled, satisfied that they had honored the season.

But outside, beyond the stained-glass glow, the wind howled. A figure stood at the door, unseen, unwelcomed. His breath rose in the cold night air as He knocked softly, waiting. His hands bore scars of nails. His eyes searched not for pageantry but for hearts.

Inside, the doll received worship. Outside, the Living Christ was left in the dark.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” — Revelation 3:20

Expect the Unexpected

December 2, 2025December 2, 2025Allen Frederick Leave a comment

For four hundred years the heavens were silent. “The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation” (1 Samuel 3:1). From Malachi to Matthew, no prophet spoke, no angel appeared, and generations were conditioned to believe nothing would ever change. Yet at the appointed time, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Galatians 4:4).

Zechariah & Elizabeth

They prayed for a child. Years of barrenness and advancing age convinced them it was no longer in the cards. Discouragement? Perhaps. Resignation? Certainly. Biology said it was too late. Yet Gabriel appeared in the temple and declared, “Your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13). Heaven answered a prayer long thought dead. Their doubts remind us that God’s timing often collides with our resignation. His mercy surprises us when we least expect it.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Mary

Mary wasn’t seeking an immaculate conception. She wasn’t imagining herself as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. She was simply living quietly in Nazareth. Yet Gabriel greeted her: “You have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30). Her first response was confusion: “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34). Mary’s bewilderment shows us that favor often comes wrapped in impossibility, and surrender is the only doorway to miracle.

Joseph

Joseph’s world collapsed when he learned Mary was pregnant. Human reasoning told him the obvious: she had been unfaithful. He resolved to end the betrothal quietly, because he knew how this works… except heaven interrupted. “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Joseph’s wrestling reminds us that obedience often requires us to lay down logic and trust God’s word above our assumptions.

Shepherds

Shepherds were the lowest of the low, never picked first, always picked last. They weren’t expecting anything spectacular to happen in their lives. Yet God needed a witness. “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). The angelic choir split the skies above their fields, not the palace or the temple. The shepherds remind us that heaven’s glory often comes to the overlooked. God delights in choosing those who are last to be first. (Matt 20:16)

The Admonition

None of them were looking. None of them were expecting. Yet each was chosen for a divine appointment. Heaven broke silence, history shifted, and God did what man could not.

He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1:11). More missed His birth than experienced it. The angelic choir did not awaken the whole town; only the shepherds saw. The world slept while heaven sang. And so it will be again. “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:38–39).

Beloved, this is not a season for nostalgia. Advent is not merely remembrance of Bethlehem—it is readiness for the skies. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

With all these witnesses and with the Scriptures as our foundation, we know Jesus will soon appear. We do not know when, but we are without excuse—for He told us He would return, and He told us how. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3). “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

Therefore, we must believe and be ready. “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching” (Luke 12:37). “Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37).

The Watchman’s Call

Do not be lulled to sleep by ritual or routine. Do not be distracted by the noise of the world. Heaven broke silence once, and it will break silence again. Expect the Unexpected. Believe His word. Be ready for His appearing.

More Than a Babe in a Manger

December 26, 2010December 26, 2010Allen Frederick 2 Comments

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Born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, such humble beginnings for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Although he came to earth as a child, Jesus is far more than a babe in a manger.

He was from the beginning. He was with God and He is God. He is the firstborn over creation and in Him the fullness of God dwells.

All things were created by Him and for Him. He laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of His hands. Without him nothing was made that has been made.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He upholds the universe by the word of His power. It is through Him that we exist. He is the mystery of God who created all things by Jesus Christ.

In the fullness of time God sent Him to be the Savior of the world. He came to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

He was made flesh and dwelt among people. Full of grace and truth, He was the image of the invisible God and the exact representation of his being.

Born in the likeness of man, He took upon himself the form of a servant. He became poor so that we may become rich.

The radiance of God’s glory, He walked in love and compassion. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize him.

Meek and gentle, He was treated harshly yet He did not protest. Despised and forsaken, He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Though He was tempted as we are, He did not sin.

He came to deliver those who through fear of death were all their lives subject to bondage. He humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. He assumed human form to mediate between God and men.

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Christmas List Suggestions

December 10, 2008Allen Frederick Leave a comment

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

Oren Arnold

Can you imagine a world where Oren’s gift suggestions are actually put into practice? Wouldn’t it be a much nicer world in which to raise your children? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that everyone was playing by the same rules? Alas this is far from reality, the world has long ago forsaken the ways designed for civilized living. Apart from a full-fledged revival of biblical proportions I fear that perhaps the good old days are just that. Yet I have hope that there remains those who desire to be a light in the darkness, to be an agent of change and a beacon of hope where there is only hopelessness. So as the world spins out of control I pray this Christmas season that once again God would send peace on Earth and goodwill to all men.

The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America

The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America

George Whitefield: God’s Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century