The Christmas story is simple, familiar and beautiful but one part can be a little disturbing. No matter how hard he tried, Herod could not halt the plans of God. Despite the difficult circumstances that come your way, know that nothing can separate you from God’s love, forgiveness, and redemption. He is “God with us.”

At Christmas, we find a contrast of those who traveled a great distance to seek out Jesus and those who were right there who ignored and missed this great moment. Just like the wise men, the presence of Christ should compel us to offer our lives as gifts to God. Jesus came to serve; will we serve too? Will we share the message of hope through our opportunities to serve?

Jesus wasn’t born into a wealthy family with powerful connections; the situation was awkward at best. His earthly parents were a teenage girl and her middle- to lower-class fiancé. In the midst of the mess, there was still a willingness to hold onto hope that God's word would never fail. Even if we don't know, with God, there is still hope and nothing is impossible!

Sometimes, it’s difficult to enjoy Christmas when we’re too busy to stop and savor the holiday. Over the next weeks, we go back to the foundation of this well-known story, revealing the joy and celebration it brings to all those who place their faith in Christ. Christmas reveals we have a God who dares to come near to us in our brokenness and suffering.

In a world full of messaging about all the things it is against, can the church bring a fresh perspective of being for people? Jesus was FOR people but being FOR people comes from changed priorities. There will have to be a reorientation of our perspective and attitude. When it comes to how you spend your day, time and resources, what are you placing first: God’s kingdom or something else?

The subject of wealth can be tricky and very personal. How we define wealth is often a moving target and it's not a characterization that most of us would claim for ourselves. However, compared to the rest of the world, most of us are doing well. The danger is the more we accumulate, the easier it is to migrate hope from God to stuff. What if instead of trusting in riches, we trusted in the One who richly provides?

We spend so much of our time chasing after careers, people, or possessions that never satisfy us in the end. When is enough, enough? We don’t have to continually seek after the latest, greatest thing; instead, we should seek Christ, and he will satisfy our desires. And in that pursuit, we find we can truly be FOR people.

Being a generous person is one of those "easier said than done" type of habits. We can say the right words but do our actions demonstrate true generosity? In a culture where it is clear all the types of people - lifestyles - political opinions - we are against, can the attitude shift to be FOR people? How do we change this mindset? It all stems from the amazing story of God’s generosity to us seen in Jesus.