What songs are on your Christmas playlist? “All I Want for Christmas Is You”? “Last Christmas”? Or maybe something a little more classic like “Jingle Bells” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? Christmas playlists help us enjoy the holiday season with songs dedicated to Santa Claus and sleigh rides and winter wonderlands. But there are also several Christmas songs that help focus our thoughts on the birth of Jesus. Actually the Bible itself shares multiple songs that announced and celebrated the arrival of the Son of God into our world. This Christmas season at Flagstone, we are going to discover those ancient “Christmas Playlists,” and we are going to recognize that the messages conveyed in those celebrations still contain truths for us today.

Regardless of the holiday season, HOPE can sometimes be in short supply. We may have placed our greatest hopes in finite things that have failed us, or been let down by someone or something in our lives that promised satisfaction. When Paul tells us in Romans 15:13 that we can have hope abundantly along with joy and peace, he wasn't kidding. Because we place our hope in someONE that is unshakable, always satisfying our deepest needs. Jesus Christ himself. Let's see how Paul lays out his argument for hope in Romans.

We live in a culture that consistently communicates "what's mine is mine." It's my stuff...it's my house...it's my car...it's my bank account. And the danger in only seeing my money and my possessions as "mine" is that I become less willing to share those things, less willing to be generous or to give. But God has always had an expectation for His people to 1) enjoy the blessings He gives them, and 2) share those blessings with others. Because of all the ways God pours good stuff into our lives, we are called to pour that same stuff into the lives of other people - our love, our kindness, our compassion, our forgiveness...and even our finances. Why is it that God expects me to give to others what He's given me? And how do I become a more consistently cheerful giver?

We live in a culture that often seems to encourage people to have a "me-first" mentality. We are encouraged to look out for ourselves and make sure our own needs are being met before we worry about anyone else. This is not a new concept however; people in Jesus' day seemed to have a similar focus. What was Jesus' response? "If you want to be first, you have to be last." "If you want to be the greatest, you have to be the least." Jesus calls us to be servants and to put others' needs above our own first. His challenge is to take the blessings that He pours into our lives and then turn around and pour those blessings into the lives of others. So how do I do that? And why should I think of "you" before I think of "me"?

This is the time of year that many of us are reminded of all the different ways God has blessed us. But God’s expectation in sharing these blessings is not just for us to enjoy them ourselves but to use those gifts to benefit others. This month at Flagstone we’re going to spend time together thanking God for all He’s done and also discovering ways we can pour the blessings He has given us into the lives of others.

Sometimes people who break free from a toxic or abusive relationship are tempted to reconnect with that person again and reestablish that relationship. Why? We often return to the thing or the person or the situation that has caused us pain 1) because we think it will be different this time, or 2) because we have grown comfortable with the hurt or the dysfunction. The same thing can happen with our shame. We struggle with it and want to be done with it, God sets us free from it...and then we soon discover those feelings of shame have crept back into our minds and are again impacting our self-esteem and our relationships. So how do I keep that from happening? How do I keep from returning to the feelings of shame from which I've been set free?

Shame is a harsh slavemaster. Shame wraps itself around our minds and our hearts and convinces us that, not only are we bad people who don't deserve acceptance or who don't measure up, but also that we can't ever be set free from it. We become convinced that this feeling of self-doubt and unworthiness is just going to be part of our lives from now on. But Jesus came to set us free from the lie that says we're not worth it. He came to accept us where we are and make us into what He has in mind for us. So how do I experience that? Is there something I need to do in order to take hold of that freedom?

Shame is such a powerful emotion. It goes beyond just a sense of guilt or remorse for past mistakes. Shame leads me to believe, not just that I did something bad, but that I am a bad person. That kind of perspective can be devastating to my sense of self-worth. But Jesus came into our world to conquer the things that keep us separated from God, including our shame. So how do I recognize if shame is something that is impacting my attitude and actions? And how do I allow Jesus to defeat and remove feelings of shame from my mind and heart?

The pursuit of happiness is one of the "rights" outlined in the Declaration of Independence. It's a concept that permeates our culture even today - pursue happiness...search for and find what makes you happy. But is being happy truly the goal in life? Is that what God wants for me? To just make sure that I'm happy? Scripture seems to indicate that God calls us to choose something even greater than happiness. God calls us to choose joy. But aren't joy and happiness the same thing? If they're not, how do I know the difference? And how do I make sure that I'm moving beyond pursuing happiness to taking hold of joy?

The Bible consistently calls God's people to experience joy. Over and over different authors in scripture talk about rejoicing and celebrating God's blessings and God's presence...and that's a good thing! But sometimes I don't feel very joyful. There are days when I'm hurting or I'm tired or I've lost something or someone that meant a lot to me - there are days when I'm just sad. But is that wrong? Does it make me a bad Christian if I have feelings of sadness? How do I keep my moments of sadness from taking over my thoughts and controlling my actions?