During this season of Christmas cheer, we rarely consider the cosmic battle that took place during our Savior’s birth. We ignore the blood that was shed and the cries of agony that pierced the silence of those fateful nights. It does a soul good to meditate on these grim realities.

People search for Jesus for different reasons. Some governments search for any mention of Jesus to erase it so that they can eliminate his influence on their societies. Some search for Jesus out of curiosity. Who is this Jesus that we celebrate during Christmas? Some search for Jesus to learn about his teachings. But what is the biblical reason to search for Jesus?

In the first part of chapter one, Matthew places Jesus, the messiah God’s people have been waiting for, in the context of redemptive history. Matthew now turns to the human beginnings of Jesus. From Matthew’s story about the birth of Jesus, we get a glimpse of who this Messiah is. His identity. His names. The names given to Him by God. Son of David, Jesus, and Immanuel.

Every Christian goes through spiritual winters of the soul where we are forced to ask ourselves, “Has God stopped working in my life?” Advent is his timeless answer to this unsettling question.

In John’s Gospel, there are seven famous I AM statements where Jesus discloses his true identity. By saying, “I AM the True Vine,” Jesus is claiming to be the True Israel who is capable of doing what God's people in the Old Testament failed to do – to be fruitful as a blessing to the nations. If New Testament believers abide in Jesus like branches in a vine, we can partake in the same mission to bear much fruit that blesses others

In John’s Gospel, there are seven famous I AM statements where Jesus discloses his true identity. In saying, “I AM the way and the truth and the life,” Jesus makes an exclusive claim that flies in the face of prevailing opinion – that all faiths are equally valid (or equally wrong).

We are surrounded by dead people. Classmates. Co-workers. Fellow Shoppers. Other parents. Their deadness prevents them from understanding spiritual truth. The gospel puzzles them. People will eventually experience physical death. Those who do not believe in the gospel will experience spiritual death – separation from God. How does Jesus help people to overcome death?

In John’s Gospel, there are seven famous I AM statements where Jesus discloses his true identity. In claiming, "I AM the Good Shepherd," Jesus is revealing how he views his followers and how he sees himself in relation to them. We can take comfort in knowing how good our Shepherd is and how much he loves his sheep.

In John’s Gospel, there are seven famous I AM statements where Jesus discloses his true identity as God in the flesh. In claiming, "I AM the Door of the Sheep," Jesus is inviting anyone – who wants to access the sheepfold of God and enjoy the abundance of life therein – to enter through him and him alone.