Every year we begin by renewing our covenant to God and submitting to follow Christ. We will reflect on the talents God has given to us and pray the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. This is a time of deep surrender, faithfulness, and commitment to following Christ in the new year.

The Holy family flees Herod’s murderous rage, fulfilling a prophecy. Jesus is revealed as the new Moses and the humanity of his vulnerable family is on full display. God uses the tragedy to fulfill the prophecies about who Jesus would become.

The most profound part of the story of the Grinch is the ending most people skip over.  The grinch carves the roast beast, he is welcomed to the table and given the seat of honor. The heart of the Grinch grew and the hearts of the Who’s grew as well. The heart of God grew to give us baby Jesus and our hearts should grow in response. We welcome Jesus into the world and the transformation he brings.

The Grinch responded to what the Whos had done. They sang songs of Joy so instead of gleefully dumping their possessions off Mount Crumpet, he brought them all back to town. The Magi responded to what God had done with a desire to give what they had. The historic enemy is included in the celebration of Christmas.

The grinch and Joseph both had unmet expectations. The grinch expected people to cry when their toys were gone but they sang a joyful song instead. Joseph expected to get married and start a family like everyone else but then his life suddenly changes and he has a choice to make.

The Grinch was excited to expose Christmas for what it really is, a fraud. Mary gets to be a part of something big, revealing God for who God really is. Their hearts are both changed in the process and other lives are changed as well.

Zechariah didn’t believe it was possible. The Grinch didn’t believe a heartfelt celebration of Christmas was possible either, he was cynical, thought it just all came from a store. By the time John the Baptist is born, Zechariah’s heart has grown, and he believes in what God will do. 

The paradoxes about money we've explored aren't meant to be resolved privately but lived out in the context of Christian community, where we help each other discern faithful stewardship. Individually, we must examine our hearts with diagnostic questions (Am I hoarding or stewarding? Giving or spending selfishly?) while recognizing that the answers will vary based on our unique situations—but we need the church to help us see our blind spots and resist cultural conformity. As a church body, we're called to practice the radical economic sharing of the early church, create space for honest conversations about money without shame, challenge materialism, celebrate generosity, and embody an alternative economy that witnesses to God's kingdom through mutual aid and sacrificial love.

Scripture affirms both the wisdom of saving and planning and the call to radical generosity and daily trust in God's provision. The path of faithfulness isn't choosing one over the other but discerning which word you most need to hear: if you tend toward anxious hoarding, you need Jesus' call to trust and give; if you tend toward impulsive spending, you need Proverbs' call to plan and provide. Mature stewardship means saving for real needs while giving sacrificially, planning wisely while trusting ultimately, holding everything with open hands ready to release when God calls.

The Bible presents wealth as both divine blessing and spiritual danger refusing to give us a simple answer about whether money is good or bad. The truth is that wealth, like any powerful gift from God, can either serve kingdom purposes or become an idol depending on the condition of our hearts. Money is morally neutral, in biblical times people bartered a lot. How do we receive both the blessing and not fall into the dangerous traps of money?