At Christmas we celebrate that Jesus Brings God; Emmanuel, God with us...in our flesh and in our struggles.  Jesus is full life and brings light into our lives.  When we make room in our hearts, he and the Father come and make their home in us, giving us light and life now and forever.

Sometimes the idyllic nature of the Christmas story, distracts us from seeing what is actually happening.  A king is arriving to inaugurate his kingdom and that is a threat to many.  When we see Jesus for who he really is, we are left with two choices: either we kill him or we crown him.  Herod shows us what those gripping to power are inclined to do, but the magi show us the right way to receive our victorious king - in worship.

Peace is not a place or a circumstance...it's a person.  Jesus brings us peace when we worship him, unite under him, and intentionally center our lives on him.  

Scripture tells us over 200 times that God cares for the poor and marginalized.  Because his throne is founded upon justice and righteousness, he does justice and calls his people to do the same through living out Christ's kingdom on earth.

In the classic "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" we celebrate that Jesus brings grace...that through Jesus, "God and sinners reconciled" is true for us this Christmas.

On this journey of life in the wilderness, we can pray and ask God for forgiveness which He willingly grants through Jesus.  And we can pray for Him to guide our hearts to have power over the sin that so easily entangles.

When Jesus tells us to pray for daily bread today, he is calling us to form our souls in daily dependance.  We pray for his daily provision on this journey through the wilderness until we reach the promised land of new creation, while also experiencing the deeper life of the living bread of Jesus himself.

When we pray "Your kingdom come" we are pledging allegiance to, and invoking, God's kingdom instead of our own.  In pray we are living in relationship with God, relinquishing our own kingdom, and living for the realization of God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

As God's children through Jesus, we don't have to perform rituals to pray "right" or to get God's attention.  Instead, we can count on our relationship with the Father, we can be honest in our prayers, and we can make requests of the God of the universe.  

Jesus calls his followers to pray.  But prayer can be done in a religious way that produces external spirituality, or in a Gospel way rooted in humility and grace.  The religious pray-er does so to earn the praise of others; the Gospel pray-er does so to be with God.