What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus is Lord! The birth of Jesus is the prequel to the parousia--known only by God the Father Himself. Prepare the way of the Lord!

Some things just feel right, right? Like singing Silent Night to candlelight with the approach of Christmas. And we plan to repeat an act of corporate generosity and donate the night’s entire offering to Grace’s Place, an emergency shelter in Washington, MO that provides crisis care and other services for Children and Youth.

What is the birth of Jesus about? It's about His reign. We likely fail to grasp what “King Jesus” means, for we live in a representative government, after all. King Jesus is not elected; we don’t vote for Him. He rules. Period.

What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about God being with us. Through the birth of Jesus, we see the lengths God will go to in order to be with us come hell or high water, life and even death. Nothing will separate us from His love.

What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about salvation. Christ the Savior is born! The birth of baby Jesus highlights the fact that we are sinners needing to be saved. What stands out even more is that Jesus is our Savior who came to save us!

What good can we do on behalf of others this week?

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Got Bread? Jesus does. What little bit do you have that you’re holding back because it’s not much? You never know what God will do with it when you put it into action. So, go ahead, heed that nudge in your heart and ante-up!

What are some faith-filled conversations you’ve had this week?

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Got Messiah? Jesus is. I love controversy. It’s more interesting than all-figured-out opinions. The moment we have to reconsider what we think we know, we are prepared to grow. And Jesus wants us to grow in conversations.

How are you seeing God working in and around you this week?

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Got wine? If not, ask Jesus. Who knew that Jesus showing up to the party was going to be a God-event. Nobody expected to see God at that wedding in Cana, but that is what happened. Where don’t you expect to find Jesus?

What has God been saying to you through His Word this week?

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Got Word? Then you’ve got Jesus. God’s people have always geeked out for the written Word. And, lo and behold, that Word came and lived among us! Everything, literally, begins for us with God’s Word.

Prayer is hand-to-hand combat. Living in contested territory, we are deployed to bring precision to God’s intervention. As we’ve learned, it is not that God needs our prayers to deploy His aid, but we pray to remain open to His actions.