God delivers on His many promises from over many years to crown a new King David.  Jesus reigns with the heart of God and delivers his people to salvation, justice, and righteousness.  

We find hope and joy in the midst of fear and struggle because our Great and High God became small and lowly.  The incarnation demonstrates the love of  God for His people despite  their unfaithfulness.  The greatness of God saves us from ourselves.

Jesus is the second, better Joshua.  He leads his people into the promised land of full life, now and in the future.  That gives us joy and hope in the midst of our fears and struggles.

In Luke 1, Mary experiences real fear, but she is comforted by the favor of God which gives her hope.  We can experience true hope and joy in the midst of our fears because of the favor of God shown through Jesus.

The People of God have always been called to trust God and be generous.  But instead, going all the way back to Eden, they've been a people with a scarcity mindset.  Jesus redeems us in his generosity and frees us to be generous.

The people of God have always had shepherds...Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets, apostles, and elders.  But they're all pointing to the chief shepherd: Jesus.

The people of God are both gathered and scattered for the glory of God.  Jesus has sent out his disciples as ambassadors of his kingdom to bring his peace and power into the world.

Prayer is a key way in which the people of God stay connected to the Vine; how the body stays connected to the Head which is Jesus.  The people of God pray to the Father for their basic needs.  But it's through prayer at a deeper level that relationship with the Father and transformation in the Gospel happens.

The Bible is critical to our identity as the people of God.  It speaks his word to us with authority by relaying the gospel and its implications on our lives.  When we embrace it with an open heart as a church and as individuals, God uses it to teach us the gospel, rebuke and correct us when we embrace false gospels, and train us in how to live in light of the gospel.

Going to church is not a new invention.  For thousands of years the people of God have gathered in sacred assembly one day out of the week to recenter around one God, in His presence, to encourage one another, and to worship in hope.