On the sixth day, God created man, from the earth. The man's name was Adam. The name Adam is a description of where he came from: the ground, the earth. God created woman from the side/rib of the man. The woman's name was Eve. God created man and woman and it was very good. It was perfect. Their names mean something. Your name means something. And sometimes the names we choose are descriptors of something about us. Certainly works with the name of Jesus.

We begin a journey this new year of reading through the Bible from the beginning and as we start in Genesis, we read those first three words: In the beginning... God created. God created something out of nothing. He created light that was called day, and He created darkness that was called night. Then many years later He created the light that led the wise men, the magi to Jesus. The light of Christ that shines in the darkness of sin and death. And that light, just like God's creation, is very good.

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we start at where the promise of the Savior was first given, when the darkness of sin first entered the world. But the darkness of sin and death doesn't last forever because the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. That's what the tradition of gathering at Christmas is all about.

In a series of seven short sermons following the traditional Christmas readings, we'll journey to the home of Mary and Joseph, we'll journey to the place Jesus first makes His home, and we'll journey to our own homes to take a look at what Christmas is like for us this year, and finally, we'll journey to our church home where Jesus welcomes every one of us to receive His gifts.

JAM Cardboard Testimonies by Pastor Brad & Pastor Glenn

As we approach the holidays, it can be a time where we have all different kinds of feelings and emotions, and sometimes joy is the farthest thing from how we're actually feeling. But God's Word does have the good news of great joy, and Jesus' actions bring good news of great joy, and salvation means everlasting joy.

On this Second Sunday in Advent, we think about peace. Having peace or harmony within all of our relationships can be complicated, especially with those that are hard to love. But where we fail to make peace with others, Christ came to make peace between us and God. And thus, we in turn can make peace with others because Christ is at work in us, giving us peace through His Word and Sacraments.

On this First Sunday in Advent, we think about hope. The hope that we have in life, the hope that we have for ourselves, for others, our health, etc. Sometimes, as we look at our life and the world and all the suffering and struggles, it's hard to have hope. Our hope comes from God, who promised to send His Son, and as we get closer to Christmas, we remember that first coming of Christ, when the hope was realized as the babe that was born in Bethlehem, becomes the object of our hope.

On this Last Sunday of the Church Year, also known as Christ the King Sunday, we see Christ nailed to the cross with a sign above His head which reads, "King of the Jews." The one thief says to Jesus, "remember me when you come into Your kingdom." As we gather around God's Word and His Sacrament, we ask the same of Jesus, to remember us in His Kingdom. By faith, his answer to us is the same as to the thief, "today you will be with me in paradise." Paradise is a present reality for those who believe.

Christ the King Sunday comes next week, but today we think about Christ's Second Coming, as King, as we hear about the signs that lead up to Christ's return. We also hear, in His Word, how Christ will be the One to keep us steadfast in the faith, until He comes again.