We are going through the book of Hebrews to help navigate us through the first part of the year. Hebrews is a difficult book due to all the unknowns and the extensive use of the Old Testament. However, the author is clear on one thing during times of hardship, holding fast to our faith in Jesus through keeping our eyes fixed on him.

The new year brings anticipation for something new, and that is what ultimately brought the Magi to Jesus thousands of years ago. Through our vision of the future, we get to invite God into that through our trust in him, knowing he wants to do something new in us as well.

God's glory comes down in the most extraordinary ways, to the most ordinary people. We see this in the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 as the angels showed up to the shepherds to share the good news of Jesus being born. Once we encounter the glory of God, we are given a choice to interact with it, and if we do we receive joy and purpose.

The season of Advent reminds us of how God brings his glory to us in the ordinary and mundane. Through our trust in him we bring praise and glory back to him - even when it doesn’t make sense.

As we continue our series in advent we come to the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Following through the story of Mary in Luke 1, we see how God meets her in her feelings of insignificance and extends his favor. This is the basis for our calling as we wrestle with God which brings us to trust in him.

As we continue our series in the book of Galatians, we come to the gospel idea of freedom. Normally we think of freedom in terms of freedom from having responsibility, but when we put our faith in Jesus and receive the Gospel, he calls us to freedom for others through our love.

Paul continues on the gospel message, this time focusing on acceptance through faith. We are adopted into God's family of belonging through faith in Christ alone.

Paul continues his letter to the Galatians in Chapter 2 and 3 in regards to faith and the law. According to the Gospel, it comes down to our identity: who we are in Jesus. Our faith in him is ultimately what defines us.