Simeon has been waiting his whole life. He scoops up the baby Jesus and begins to sing.

How long would you wait for God? What would you do when He fulfilled His promise?

If you need something to make this a little more real - think about Mary holding the baby Jesus in her hands - cradling Him close to her. Now think about the last time you took communion. The pastor placed the wafer in your hand. We believe that wafer was Jesus - in, with and under the bread. What you were holding in your hand was no different than what Mary held on that first Christmas. That's how real Jesus is - to you - to me - to the world.

If you know how His story ends - then you can know how your story ends. No matter what twists or turns or bad guys or being forced to move or surprises - the story proclaims His story is your story.

You are loved. You are unique. You are unreproducible. God sent His Son so you would know how precious you are to Him.

We are not alone in our sin. We are not alone in our joy. We are not alone in our grief. We are not alone in our questions. We are not alone - period.

Hawaii isn't for football fanatics that are also followers of Jesus (the games are over before we get home from church) - John points us to the sidelines, the Star Player and the scoreboard that tells us we've already won. But before the game ends - John has some things to say to the people in the stands and on the sidelines.

John the Baptizer screams "repent' - what does he expect from us? Does he expect us to stop doing bad things and saying bad things - or is it something else? How much patience does God have with us? How long will He wait for us?

Ezra and the need to give thanks even when everything is a mess

Ever walked into a well-lit room and turned on a flashlight? You don't need light where there is already light - you need light where there is darkness. Advent is God shining the light of His grace on a very deep darkness. E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come is not asking Jesus to speed things up - it's asking Him to use you right now - wherever you are - do bring light to someone who needs it.

It takes faith to see the difference between a dream and a vision

This ain't heaven and these churches aren't the real church - the people are - and we've got all eternity to make sure that no one gets left behind.