Good morning on this Saturday, December 19th. In behalf of the entire staff of the Edgewood Baptist Church, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and remind you that tomorrow's Christmas service will feature a Christmas drama and the final Christmas message, entitled, The Unexpected Expected Birth. This service on the Sunday before Christmas has traditionally been one of the highlights of the entire year in our church and tomorrow's service will be no exception. On Christmas Eve at 6:00 p.m. we'll enjoy the Edgewood family welcoming the arrival of Christmas together with candle-light communion and a special celebration of Christ's coming. Because Lord willing, I will be taking some quality time with my children and grandchildren during the Christmas season, there will be no blog next Saturday, December 26th. Our next blog will be on January 2nd as the first article of the new year.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, December 12th. In today's blog I'd like to correct some misperceptions about the Christmas story as it is commonly represented. Here are some interesting facts about Christmas:
(1) We do not know if Mary traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey, she may have ridden in a cart.
(2) Jesus was probably not born in a shelter as is commonly depicted in the Nativity scene. Animals were often housed in caves and there is a good chance that Jesus was born in one among the animals housed there.
(3) The tradition that Jesus did not cry as a baby is a legend popularized by the song, "Away in a Manger," where the lyrics say, The cattle are lowing; The poor baby wakes; But little Lord Jesus ; No crying he makes. Nowhere does it say that in Scripture.
(4) The three Magi (Wise Men) came to the Nativity. First we don't know how many Wise Men there were. The number three came from the number of three gifts they brought, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There may have been two, three, or many more who came, and they did not come to the Nativity scene, but arrived later and saw the YOUNG CHILD at the HOUSE.
(5) We do not know the exact date of Christ's birth. Although we have celebrated Christmas for many years on December 25th, most likely He was actually born on another date.
Though tradition has taken some liberty with the facts surrounding Christ's birth, the true facts of His birth fulfilled many prophecies of the Old Testament exactly as they predicted hundreds of years before.
Tomorrow's sermon is a Christmas message entitled, The Cast of Characters, which will be introduced with a drama called, "Change of Heart."
I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this the first Saturday of December. In today's blog I would like to update you on our plans for celebrating Christmas in our services this month at Edgewood. Our theme throughout this Christmas season is THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS. It will continue each Sunday until Christmas and will get under way tomorrow, December 6th with the message, The Waiting World. In addition to Christmas music by the choir and congregation and the video, Incarnation, the Children's Choir will be singing. The following Sunday, December 13th will feature the message, The Cast of Characters, and include music by the Beginner Choir together with a video message from the little ones, and the drama, Change of Heart. On December 20th, the Sunday before Christmas, the message will be, The Unexpected Expected Birth, and will be associated with the drama, Who's To Blame? Additionally, the video, Christmas Mystery, and the choir special, "In the Fulness of Time" will be featured. The Christmas countdown will conclude the following Thursday with our traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service at 6:00 p.m. Much planning has gone into these services to make them the finest we have had in the history of Edgewood. Please plan to not miss a single one.
Mel Brown