The Gospel reveals the spiritual brokenness, blindness and numbness in all of us. But Jesus has come not only to reveal our need but to bring us profound healing. Jesus is the true Sabbath that has come to restore all that is lost and broken.

Religious people can often be judgmental and legalistic. But Jesus shows us how the essence of Christianity brings freedom and healing. Jesus shows us how our weary and condemned spirits can find ultimate rest.

Many of us are stressed, anxious and busy juggling all of the demands of our lives. Genesis shows us how to find a rhythm of work and rest. God created us to delight in our work but ultimately for something greater than work. God invites us to a life of rest, worship and renewal.

We’re constantly distracted and frequently overworked. The Sabbath is a day to rest from the tyranny of work and in its place remember God’s providence and redemption. In the Sabbath we also remember our equality as God’s creation, working toward justice, and seeking the Kingdom.

Many of us are stressed, anxious and busy juggling all of the demands of our lives. Genesis shows us how to find a rhythm of work and rest. God created us to delight in our work but ultimately for something greater than work. God invites us to a life of rest, worship and renewal.

As we begin a new year, it is common for us to create new plans and resolutions. Starting something new. Ending something old. We look ahead and do our best to see what the next year can bring us. But what is guiding our sight? As Christians, we choose to see through God’s eyes. God allows us to see life in a different way. The way we see ourselves. The way we see others. Everything becomes clearer the closer we get to God.

Our world is always looking for a true leader who isn’t abusive or foolish. Jesus comes into the world as a child who will lead not through abuse but through grace, he will lead not by commanding but by serving. Jesus is the true king who leads with the wisdom, power and love of God.

How involved is God in our ordinary, daily life? Advent tells us that Jesus is the great Immanuel who has come to walk with us, heal us and bring us back home.

Many people take genealogy tests to see their ancestry. Our family line reveals our history and how we arrived at our own story. Jesus’ genealogy shows a line of cheaters, outcasts and rebels. Jesus’ genealogy shows us that he came from a broken people to heal a broken people. During Advent, Jesus calls us into a new family and a new story.

Christianity in America has become dominantly self-seeking and individualistic. But who is the Jesus that Apostle Paul presents? Jesus who is God Himself became man and humbled Himself by being obedient even unto death on a cross. What would it mean for us to lay down our rightful privileges and take action for God's kingdom?