Gathering to worship is an important aspect of how we follow Jesus together as a community of faith. This passage invites us to consider some important truths about how we approach God in worship. We are reminded that true worship is active, focused on the Lord, and responsive to God's voice.

Why would a follower of Jesus experience difficult times? Is it a sign we’ve done something wrong or need to change something in our lives? This short story from Exodus challenges us with the truth that God intentionally allows us to go through difficult times so we can receive his provision and grow to trust him more.

Many many times throughout the narrative of Moses and the people of Israel, we’ve been able to easily point to the ways that Jesus is our rescuer. Over and over and over again we’ve been able to see that the story of Moses and the people of Israel point to the fullness of Christ! I want us today to be able to look very specifically and intently at the person of Jesus Christ, to consider carefully who He is as our rescuer, to see how He was able to come and fulfill all that God promised through Moses and how in fact, He is the better Moses.

A month after their Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites once again find something to complain about: the lack of food in the desert. In response to their grumbling, God provides manna, the miracle “bread from heaven” that meets their physical need and points to the future full provision of God through Jesus.

Our tendency is to fill our minds and spend our lives with things that do not last. But if want to grow towards maturity in God, we’ve got to think about the stuff of eternity. When we do, we gain an increasingly clear understanding of God’s mercies and we invite Jesus’ renewing power into our everyday lives.

The story of Simeon and Anna is a beautiful picture of the way that God’s words bring life in the context of community. When young and old, male and female, rich and poor, come together to listen to God and share his words with others, hope emerges into our circumstances as God reveals Jesus to us in a fresh way.

The way the Christmas story "went down" (poverty, no room in the inn, manger crib, smelly shepherds, etc.) often makes us feel that we should have done a better job receiving the King of Kings into our midst. Shouldn't we have prepared a luxurious palace with servants and decor fit for royalty? What if, instead, the Son of God arrived in precisely the way God intended to teach us that real life is not about the "extras"?

Despite his mature faith and old age, Zechariah struggles to believe God when a miracle is promised, and he enters a time of discipline. God uses this time of forced, quiet reflection to grow him deeper in his maturity. When the time is finished Zechariah overflows with a song of praise that impacts his neighbours with the hope of the coming “Sunrise” of God.

Mary is given some very unexpected news - news that wasn't exactly all good news for her in her circumstance. Yet she was humble and invited God to do His will in her life. Her posture of humility allowed her to trust God, even though she didn't understand and allowed her to praise Him, even in extremely unexpected circumstances.

No matter now deep the darkness in our lives or in the world around us, God’s light has power to break in and bring joy, freedom and peace. This is a real and tangible hope that we cannot achieve on our own and we should not keep to ourselves.