Jim Somerville: "Today I want to begin a new series called 'Hopes and Fears'. I want to look at where the nation of Israel was when it began to fear for its future and hope for a savior and then compare it with where we are as a nation. I think there are some parallels there -- some striking parallels..."

Allie Osborne, Emma Tilley, and Josh Kim share their faith stories on Student Day at Christmas, December 30, 2018.

Jim Somerville: "Can Christmas still change the world? That's the question the authors of Advent Conspiracy were asking. 'The false doctrine of consumer religion insists, again and again, that money equals love.' On Christmas Day God comes near, as he always does and always is, and we miss it, because we are once again glutted and exhausted by consumer Christmas..."

Jim Somerville: "Do this right now: make a mental list of all the things you got for Christmas last year. Got it? No, neither do I. So many of the things we get at Christmas are completely forgettable. But there are some gifts we will never forget..."

Jim Somerville: "Is that it? Is Christmas these days just a way to stave off the mild depression that settles in on most of us in winter? Is that why we put lights up everywhere, on the front of our houses and on our Christmas trees? Is it why we race from one party to another
during the month of December...?"

Ellie Somerville McNevin: "A few weeks ago I sat down with my family and said, 'Let’s be honest: we have everything we need and almost everything we want. So what if, this Christmas, we gave to people who don't have what they need?'..."

Jim Somerville: "We have presidents in this country. Their job is to govern to the best of their ability for the few years they are in office and then we will elect someone else to take their place. So, let's not get confused about who's really in charge, or where our true loyalty lies..."

Jim Somerville: "The story of Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges, when 'there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes.' But there was a man in Bethlehem, Elimelech, whose name means 'God is my king,' and he wanted to do what was right in God's eyes: he wanted to take care of his family..."

Emerson Shelton: "A saint reminds us that the Church is called to be holy. They show the holiness of God by living the life of Christ. Through their daily life, they show others the Christian walk. They are recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or closeness to God. They are ordinary, salt of the earth Christians, serving and loving God through the local church. There are saints among us today..."