The world is - as usual - in deep trouble. In Christ, God has done something about it. God calls us to be different and make a difference.

Bethlehem was a little town far from the centers of action in the world. Yet God chose this little town as the birthplace of his son Jesus. Similarly, God still likes to work in small out of the way places. He wants to live his truth through our personality.

In the face of the danger facing Judah, God promised a sign that would show the people that he was with them. The promise of a child was fulfilled for Ahaz in his time - but there was more to the fulfillment than what happened then.

How do we conquer complaining in our lives?

In John 17 Jesus prays that his disciples would be "one." We can be a part of answering that prayer.

The Matthew 10 Jesus sends the 12 into the mission field. The disciples "got in the game." They were able to do so because Jesus had equipped them for ministry.

Unlike us, God doesn't think, "If you want it done right, do it yourself." God calls us to become willing participants in what he's doing. And what we do matters, even if no one knows what we do.

At the end of Acts 4, we see Barnabas sell some land and give all the proceeds to the church. In the passage that follows, Ananias and Sapphira learn the wrong lesson from that act. How can we handle giving rightly?

Learning to be present to each other, to open our lives to each other, is an essential element of our becoming a healthy church.

One of the important ways we "get in the game," i.e., become participants in what God is up to, is prayer. Prayer is an essential practice for supporting the church.