CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
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The Three M’s
Many activities surround Christmas - sometimes the busy-ness of it all might even obscure the actual meaning of the birth of Jesus.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR511.mp3
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
December 17, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“God, though what we call the Incarnation, came into our world in the person of Jesus. Jesus came into our time-bound world from eternity. The dilemma that the Incarnation presents for our human minds is that Jesus remained divine while becoming human. He still inhabited boundless eternity, but he also inhabited the limitations of our world and what it means to be human. He came into time. He was born, lived, died on the cross and was resurrected. He is now risen; He’s still ...
Hinds’ Feet by Stuart Segall
Life has never been a straight road for me. It has been a winding climb that has been marked by valleys of loss, stretches of loneliness, and moments where the ground beneath me felt too fragile to hold. Yet, just as often, there have been glimpses of light when I needed it most! There were unexpected tender mercies and the quiet strength to take one more step upward when I thought I couldn’t. My story is not one of ease, but of endurance. In the world of psychology, I would be labeled a “survivor” profile. One of stumbling and rising, of ...
CWR Video – Our Incarnated Lives – by Steve McVey
https://player.vimeo.com/video/115914372
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Shame and Scandal
Jesus' birth, as well as his life and death, were surrounded by shame and scandal, yet the real shame and scandal was not then easily observed nor is it easily believed now.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR461.mp3
No Christmas Without Christ – by Greg Albrecht
He is both a speechless child and He is the Word…He lies in a manger, but he holds the world in His hand; He is nourished at the breast but He feeds the angels; He is wrapped in swaddling clothes but He clothes us with immortality… He does not find room in the inn but He makes a temple for Himself in the hearts of believers. For Strength took on weakness that weakness might become strong.
– Augustine, (354-430), Sermon 190.
As we experience this last month of the year, we see another frenzied Christmas shopping season of excess, with retailers unleas...
The Crib and the Cross
The crib and the cross of Jesus Christ are the bookends of his human earthly life - the bookends of the greatest love story ever told.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR459.mp3
Jesus is the Reason – Michael North
From CWR/PTM - Enjoy this Christmas song by Michael North.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
December 15, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“How did this incredible and astounding story about God’s love incarnated for us become an orgy of eating, drinking, getting and grasping? How did God’s love being born into our story become so devalued that many primarily understand its celebration as a time when they shop until they drop, spending money they do not have in a vain pursuit of buying love and proving their love to those they hold near and dear?...
Sadly, a headlong pursuit of purchasing love for ourselves blurs and obscures the miracle, ...
The Gift of Time – by Greg Albrecht
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.—Isaiah 55:6
Time is the enemy of teachers, speakers and preachers—we are always battling with the clock. In the context of formal church services, this battle goes back to the so-called olden days when preachers walked up and took their place behind the pulpit. At the beginning of the sermon an hour glass of sand was turned on its end. The passing of time was determined as small quantities of sand passed from the upper chamber, which at the beginning of the hour was full, to the lower chamber.
...
The Gospel of Jesus – Brad Jersak
Part 1: What is the Gospel of Jesus?
After sixty years, my life-long love affair with Jesus Christ and his Good News for the world still captivates me. The gospel I know today has emerged from my encounters with grace amid my missteps, and in my subsequent reflections on how often my stumbles have been met by mercy. Whatever growth I’ve gained is through glimpses of the expansive love of God for everyone and everything, (ii) through intimate communion with the person of Jesus, and (iii) in gratitude for the liberating mercy the Spirit has shown me.
Today, I ...
The Joy Set Before Us – by Bermie Dizon
When we celebrate Christmas, we tend to focus on the joy of a newborn baby, the hope of new life, and the excitement of gifts. But one of the first gifts given to Jesus was myrrh—an embalming spice. It’s a strange gift for a baby, isn’t it? It reminds us of the bigger picture: Jesus was born to die, but not just any death—He came to die for us.
From the very beginning, Jesus' life had a purpose beyond what we could imagine. As soon as sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, humanity needed a Savior. Jesus came to fulfill that role, to take our place in ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
December 13, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“The Son of God was born into the world, not as a prince, but as a pauper. So, to deck up the legendary scene of his nativity with precious hangings, pictures, glittering lamps and other ornamentation, is to destroy whatever valid symbolism it might otherwise have had. Truly, we human beings have a wonderful facility for thus snatching fantasy from the jaws of truth. – Malcom Muggeridge Let us not think of Jesus as spiritual Prozac, designed to cure our depression by masking the symptoms but never ...
The Visitor
Christmas is a time when we became a "visited planet." God in the person of Jesus personally delivered a message for each one of us. The message? God is for you. He's your friend. He's on your side. God's favor rests on you.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR096.mp3
Great Exchanges – by Greg Albrecht
Your first thought at this time of the year might be those frenzied crowds in shopping malls and department stores on the days immediately following Christmas. People exchanging and returning gifts they received that were the wrong size, wrong color—or just plain wrong!
But there's another exchange we need to keep in mind. This great exchange is the reality of the cross of Christ. Jesus Christ took our sin and died for it, paying the debt that we could not pay. In exchange, God, because of his grace, gives us eternal life. Our sin for eternal life! The great spirit...
Let It Be
Mary's pregnancy was different from that of many other women in the Bible - Mary was not desperately hoping to become pregnant. The most momentous birth in all of history is a departure from other biblical birth stories.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR095.mp3
Q&R with Brad Jersak – “What are the limits to God’s mercy?”
Question:
A friend of mine insisted, "God is merciful, but even his mercy has limits."
And I remembered a talk that you gave.
You: and his Mercy lasts how long?
Crowd: forever
You: how long?
Crowd: FOREVER
You: How long?
YOU AND CROWD: FOREVER!!
No response necessary, but I wanted you to know that many of us have that voice of mercy in the back of our heads when we hear some "wonk." Thank you.
Response:
Thank you! And while you didn't require a response, I'll just add a few beautiful texts to that antiphonal chorus. Of course, I was leading the crowd to join me in ...
He Made Himself Nothing
The great American dream involves becoming someone and amounting to something. Parents hope their children will “make something” of themselves. But there was someone whose sole purpose was the precise opposite. Jesus was born so that he could become nothing.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
December 10, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“Christmas is about God who, in the person of Jesus, came to us willing to confront the very worst of what it means to be human, and love us anyway.”
Originally published in:
Letters to My Friends
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Help Us Help Others - Give Now
Tender Mercies: In the Wrong Place? – by Ruth A. Tucker
Home for the holidays. As we contemplate family gathered around a festive table with a turkey or ham for the centerpiece, we have warm feelings. Home is where we want to be on that special day. Yet, with traffic jams and airline delays and cancellations, our dreams are often deflated. And even when everyone arrives safely, the holidays can turn into tension-filled times.
This past Christmas, with extended and blended family gathered together, a gift-exchange faux pas—the failure of one to buy a gift for another—led to hard feelings. Advice columns are ...
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