The Nativity was about God pouring out His favor and grace upon people. It reminds us that we are favored by God and His love for creation.

In Luke we hear the song of Zachariah, who waited his whole life to see the Messiah come.

He sets an example for us to be faithful to the Promised God has made and will deliver on.

Mary's humility opened the door to God's favor in her life. She displays the type of spirit that God seeks in his creation. In Luke it is this humility that causes Mary to sing a song of how her soul praises the Lord.

This week we start the Christmas season looking at songs that lead us deeper into the meaning of Christmas.

It can be hard to be thankful due to challenges in life. But we have been saved and redeemed because of the incomprehensible love God has for you. That is something worth being thankful for.

Sometimes it's hard to be thankful.

God's presence in our life does not eliminate disappointments, His presence empowers us to endure them.

Despite our troubles and the chaos of life, God is present with us.

Some people like it, some people don't. When my preference is more important than our relationship, we have a problem.

How do we connect the next generation to Jesus? We have to ask the question, "what are we connecting them too?"

At EB we must strive to have Jesus Christ and his love at the center of everything we do.

Growing our church family means investing in each other. Seeing our brothers and sisters as more than just people we go to church.

We cannot have an us versus them mentality when trying to connect with the next generation.