The Christmas story contains some of the most memorable characters of all time: the virgin Mary, Joseph the carpenter, jealous king Herod, the mysterious wise men, the frightened shepherds, and many others. Bringing each of those characters to life is one of our favorite Christmas features—Back to the Bible’s Twelve Voices of Christmas. It’s a well-produced, twelve-part audio drama (written by Woodrow Kroll) that tells the story of Christmas from the perspective of twelve famous Bible characters.

It’d make a great short Christmas devotional series if you listened to a few parts each week. (You can also read a text transcript for each part, if you prefer.)

Many theological issues and questions within Christianity have sparked debate and argument over the centuries, but few bits of theology have as much of a practical, everyday effect on our relationships as the Bible’s teaching on the respective social roles of men and women. At the Been Thinking About blog, Mart De Haan has posted his reflections on what the Bible tells us about gender roles. Does the Bible dictate that women should submit to male authority? Mart notes that “the Bible has slowly developed a reputation for being on the side of men who want to treat women as sexual property and assistants rather than as equals”:

As in the case of so many political and social issues, there are scholars, and studied opinions on both sides. Some believe that the most important statement the Bible makes about gender is found in the words of the Apostle Paul when he writes that, in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Others argue just as emphatically that the same Apostle Paul encouraged wives to learn quietly in church (1Cor 14:34), and at home, to be submissive to their husbands, as unto the Lord (Eph 5:22). In another letter Paul adds, “I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1Cor 11:2).

The post generated quite a bit of reader discussion, so De Haan followed up with second post reflecting further on the topic. If the famous Bible passage about submission to one’s husband has you wondering about the Bible’s teachings on gender roles, these posts and the discussions offer a lot of good food for thought.

Now that December is here, one cultural event commands our attention above all else: Christmas! Christmas is still several weeks away, but it’s not too early to start thinking about it. And I don’t mean thinking about how many Christmas gifts you have yet to purchase—I’m referring to the Christian tradition of Advent.

Advent is the season leading up to Christmas, and the church has traditionally used it as a time to ponder the mystery and meaning of Christ’s birth. To help you mark the Advent season, Scripture Union USA provides a free Bible reading guide for Advent (available in PDF or via email). Each day, it gives you a short Scripture passage and a few life-application questions to ponder.

Celebrating Advent is a great way to get into the true spirit of Christmas amidst all the usual holiday busy-ness. Challenge yourself to spend just a few minutes each day for the next month pondering the wonder of Christmas!