We sometimes forget that the infancy of Jesus was not all joy and silent nights. Shortly after the wise men left him, king Herod of Judea ordered for all the boys of Bethlehem age 2 and under to be killed, while Jesus and his family escaped to Egypt as refugees.

God's choice of Jesus' parents wasn't haphazard or random. God does not do anything without intent. He chose Joseph and Mary to parent his Son, and their character helped to shape the man Jesus would become.

John the Baptizer, imprisoned, wondered if Jesus really was the coming one. John's doubt and Jesus' answer point the way forward for all of us who sometimes doubt the truth of what we believe.

John the Baptizer preached a message of repentance and of judgment. Our gospel must include both the proclamation that all sin is forgiven in Christ and also of God's judgment on evil.

This First Sunday of Advent, we turned to a passage about the second Advent of Jesus, when he returns to make all things right, and learned what it looks like to live in hopeful expectation of that day.

In this conclusion to his letter to the Galatian churches, Paul wants to make clear that the Judaizers taught what they did for their own pride.

Living in step with God's Spirit produces fruit in the life of the Jesus follower.

In this passage, Paul finished up his argument against the Judaizers, then begins to practically apply all that he has been teaching the Galatians.

In this passage, Paul makes the shocking claim that the true children of Isaac are those who place faith in Jesus, not those who follow the law.

The law was a good guardian until faith in Jesus came. But now that this faith is here, it's so much better than the law ever could be.