I hope your celebration of Christmas yesterday was full of joy with friends and family. This week I’ve been focusing on all the blessings we have because of that first Christmas.

I want to quote today from the Advent book, Joy to the World, by John Piper. He writes:

My favorite Christmas text centers on humility. . .

Though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus’ humility was a conscious act of putting himself in a lowly, servant role for the good of others. His humility did not arise from being finite or fallible or sinful…Jesus’ humility did not arise from any sense of defect in himself, but from a sense of fullness in himself put at the disposal of others for their good. It was a voluntary lowering of himself to make the height of his glory available for sinners to enjoy.[1]

Did you ever think about the fact that Jesus humbled himself? But he wasn’t humble for the same reasons we are—or should be. He was willing to take on human flesh, leave his glory in Heaven with the Father, and endure the humiliation of death on a cross. “The way that Jesus accomplished our gracious salvation was through voluntary, conscious self-lowering in servant-like obedience to the point of death (Piper, 2018).” All for you and me!

I close this Christmas week with a verse from the carol “Once in David’s Royal City:”

And our eyes at last shall see him, through his own redeeming love;

For that child so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heaven above,

And he leads his children on, to the place where he is gone.

—

[1] Piper, J. (2018). Joy to the World.

Merry Christmas! I pray your celebration of Christmas today will be blessed. What part of the Christmas story is your favorite? Is it the incredible birth of Jesus to a young virgin girl? Her role in life was anything but easy, but Scripture says she was blessed among women.

Or you could choose the story of the angels appearing to the shepherds. What a sight that must have been! I keep imagining how frightened those shepherds were at first. And we know after they saw the baby Jesus, they told everyone all about it. I wonder if their friends and family believed them? I wonder if it just seemed like a foolish tale to those who heard it?

But have you ever thought about the mothers of the baby boys who were slaughtered by Herod because of his paranoia? When he heard from the wise men that a king of the Jews was born, he wanted to make sure no one would ever threaten his reign as King of Judea, and so he insanely ordered all baby boys under two years old in the Bethlehem region to be slaughtered.

What about the mother who gets a loud knock on her door—or her door busted down—as Roman soldiers come in and snatch her baby boy from her? Maybe he was just beginning to walk; maybe it was her first child; maybe she had been barren for a long time and finally this baby was born to her. And now, she watches helplessly as he is ruthlessly taken from her and slaughtered. Why? Because there was some remote chance he might be the king Herod heard about.

Was she given any explanation? I doubt it. Had she even heard the Christ-child had been born in Bethlehem? Probably not. What reason was there to kill her baby because of this unknown king baby? All she is left with are questions and grief and empty arms. The prophet Jeremiah predicted it:

A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more (Matthew 2:18).

It was a high price paid by many mothers that first Christmas. Yet the baby Jesus was born to die and his mother watched him die about 34 years later, perishing on a cross, paying the debt for your sins and mine. Think anew this Christmas about all that took place that first Christmas, so that you and I could have forgiveness and peace through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Did you ever wonder what happened to all the gold, frankincense, and myrrh the wisemen gave to baby Jesus? I’m looking at some unusual things about the Christmas story you may never have thought of before.

We don’t know how many wisemen followed the star to Jesus or how long it took them, but we know they somehow heard about it, for they asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” I’m wondering how they knew a baby was to be born king of the Jews, when it seems the Jewish people themselves had no idea their Messiah was born that night in Bethlehem. And furthermore, they came this long distance from a foreign land to worship him. It took weeks, probably months, to get there.

What about those gifts? No doubt they were worth more money than Joseph or Mary had ever seen at one time in their life. What did they do with those riches? Well, we know soon after the wise men left, Herod determined to kill all the baby boys two years and under in Bethlehem because he wanted no rival king in his kingdom. That’s when an angel told Joseph to take Mary and the baby and get out of Bethlehem. Go to Egypt to save Jesus from being killed.

For an extended time, they lived in Egypt, a foreign land, with no relatives and no job. What did they live on? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, don’t you think? God no doubt sent those wise men with those expensive gifts to find Jesus and provide for the support of this young family while they were in exile.

The story of the wise men is fascinating in many respects. They were not Jewish, yet they came to worship a Jewish king. They recognized him as the king of the Jews, yet John 1 tells us Jesus came unto his own and his own received him not. Thankfully, it doesn’t stop there, for then John says,

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

That would include the wisemen, right? And it includes you and me as well—those who have received the one born to die for us and rise again to conquer death. When you personally know Jesus as your Savior by grace through faith, then every day is a celebration—right? Christmas 2025 gives us many reasons to be joyful and celebrate.

Christmas 2025 is almost here. Let’s use this as a time to focus on the Christmas account of the birth of the Christ-child and discover unique facts about Christmas we may not have ever considered.

For example, how about those shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night (Luke 2:8). Who were these guys anyway? All we know about them is they were shepherds in Bethlehem. This means most likely the sheep they were watching that first Christmas night were sheep destined to become sacrificial lambs at the Temple in Jerusalem. Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem. If you travel it today, it takes less than half an hour—about 5 and 1/2 miles. In that day, a little longer of course, but certainly doable in a few hours.

These shepherds in that field that night were raising sacrificial lambs for the Temple, and then suddenly, the visit of the angels tells them the Lamb of God has been born in Bethlehem. Once they recover from the fright of this visitation, they decide to go see the Lamb of God, born to take away the sin of the world.

Leaving their sheep behind—which was very unusual for shepherds to do—they travel to find the baby with Mary and Joseph, and they worship him. Then they spread the word, telling everyone what they had seen and who they had seen! Reminds me of a wonderful verse from the wonderful song, A Cradle in the Shadow of the Cross. Talking about the shepherds looking at Baby Jesus—listen to this verse:

The shepherd lads were bending the knee, and how the little lambs were all trying to see, the Passover Lamb, born in a manager, just to give his life for lost sheep like me.

A baby born to be a lamb—the Lamb of God for you and me. We have much to celebrate this Christmas! Jesus was born in a manger to become a man—the God-Man, the only qualified Savior who gave his life for lost sheep like me and you. Think about that today; it’s a great way to prepare your heart for Christmas day.

It’s Christmas week—a week filled with meaning for those of us who follow Christ. Each day during this special week, I’ll focus on one part of the Christmas story—perhaps a part you’ve never paused to consider before. My hope is we will spend this week centered on the true person of Christmas, Jesus Christ, and celebrate him with joy.

Think about Mary’s remarkable journey with Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was no short stroll or comfortable trip—roughly 90 miles over rugged terrain. In that day this certainly wasn’t a one-day journey. Scripture doesn’t tell us how long the trip took, but here’s something we often overlook: Mary wasn’t required to go. The census required men to return to their birth town to register, but the women were not obligated to accompany them. Yet, Mary goes with Joseph.

Why? We’re not told. But it’s easy to imagine Joseph wanting to protect and care for her. A young woman—unmarried at the time she became pregnant—would likely have faced social rejection, suspicion, and perhaps even disbelief within her own family. We don’t know whether her own family believed her story of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous work.

This young girl traveled miles from home under difficult circumstances, and while in Bethlehem, she gave birth—exactly fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Micah 5:2.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2).

I often wonder if Mary knew this prophecy—that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. From what is referred to as Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1, we see she had a strong grasp of Scripture, likely more than most women of her day.

Today, reflect on Mary—her long journey, her courage, and her quiet, trusting submission to God’s will. It was not easy for her to respond to Gabriel’s message with such faith. Yet she said:

I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled (Luke 1:38).

Those are good words for us to say as well.

For those of us who are personally acquainted with the Savior who was born that first Christmas day, Christmas holds particular significance. However, we’ve romanticized the story of Christmas to the place that the manger scene and the people involved seem like actors in a play. We rarely stop to think that they were real people, in anything but a romantic setting.

That’s why I’d like to bring a little reality to the Christmas story. I want to talk about the most blessed woman who ever lived. And I want to focus on the heart of Mary. What was it about this lady that qualified her for this incredible privilege of bearing the Savior of the world? What was in her heart?

Let me begin by pointing out that nowhere in Scripture are we given any indication that Mary is to be worshipped. If she were here, I think Mary would be the first to tell us that she was just a woman, a very simple young lady, chosen by God for a special purpose. But like all of the rest of mankind, she was born of Adam’s race—born according to man—and she inherited the same sin nature that all of us have.

When I speak of Mary’s heart, I’m not elevating her to some divine place of sinless perfection. We’d have a hard time relating to her if that were true. But in fact, it is because Mary was just like us—a  regular lady—that we can look at her heart and can identify with her and learn from her. Try to erase all those images of Mary with a halo over her head, and see instead a lady with a wash bucket and children, a small, poor home, with few luxuries or conveniences, and a very special heart.

Though Mary came from the line of David, she was a humble lady from a very small, insignificant town, Nazareth. We don’t know anything about her parents, except that they must have been godly people because Mary had a very good knowledge of Old Testament Scripture.

We begin to get an idea of the heart of Mary when we think about Gabriel’s announcement to her that she had been chosen to bear the Messiah. Let’s look at that passage in Luke 1:28-38:

Gabriel said to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

And Mary said, “Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her (Luke 1:28-38).

Certainly, Scripture makes it clear time and again that Mary was then a virgin and remained a virgin until after the birth of Jesus. Not many people who will be celebrating Christmas this year really believe that Jesus was born of a virgin.

Why is it so terribly important that we believe and accept that Mary was indeed a virgin until after Jesus’ birth? Because we know from Scripture that sin entered the world through the seed of man. Had Jesus been conceived through an earthly man’s seed, he could not have escaped the sin nature that is born into all of us. And if Jesus were not sinless, he could never become the sacrifice demanded by God’s righteousness.

The virgin birth is not an optional theology. Your whole destiny—and mine—depends upon whether or not it is true. We are acceptable to God when we accept the redemption and forgiveness of our sins made possible because the perfect sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, paid the debt for our sins. And Jesus Christ was perfect because there was no sin in him passed on to him by the seed of man. He was born of a virgin; the only man who has ever been born of the seed of a woman. That is critical.

Can you imagine what Gabriel’s words meant to a little Jewish girl, probably only 15 or 16 years old, of the humblest means, who has heard all her life about David, his kingdom, his reign as King of Israel? And now, she is told her son is going to take David’s place and reign forever. I’m sure Mary had often heard the prophecies of the coming Messiah. But surely she never seriously thought she would be selected as his mother.

Can you put yourselves in her shoes, and think of how you might have reacted? It was an incredible declaration requiring enormous faith on Mary’s part. Would you have accepted such a statement face value? How does Mary react?

She asks a very simple question, not a question of doubt, not a challenge to the truth of the angel’s statement, but a question of curiosity and logic. To paraphrase she asked: “How can I have a baby, when I’ve never known a man? If you’re not going to use an earthly man for this, how are you going to do it?”

To a simple, honest question, Gabriel gives a simple answer: The Holy Spirit will cause this child to be impregnated in your womb, Mary. Therefore, he will be the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

Mary’s acceptance of this announcement is absolutely remarkable. Once Gabriel answers her simple question, in the same simple faith and openness, she accepts. Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38). Instead of plying Gabriel with hundreds of questions, instead of giving place to all the doubts and fears and insecurities that she must have felt at that time, Mary accepts.

Let’s think of some of the normal, natural questions and objections that Mary could have legitimately raised at that point. She could have said:

Wouldn’t you have asked some of these questions or made some other requests of Gabriel? I’m sure I would have.

But not this Mary. Her immediate, unquestioning response is be it done to me according to your word. Now we’re beginning to see the heart of this special lady. An accepting heart.

What is required of us in order to have an accepting heart? First, we must stay very simple, and by that I mean uncomplicated. Mary didn’t try to see exactly how everything was going to work out before she accepted. She didn’t let her imagination run wild with all the “what if’s” or “why’s”, as many of us tend to do. She kept it very simple. She accepted from God’s hand what he had asked of her.

Do you keep your heart simple? Or do you waste emotions and time and effort in complicating issues? When you know what God wants you to do, do you get all tied up in knots, trying to see every possibility and make sure you know every step of the way before you do anything? You’ll save yourself a lot of grief if you can ask God to give you a simple heart, to help you learn how to un-complicate decisions and situations by simply accepting.

Another thing required for an accepting heart is trust. Mary believed with unwavering faith. Can you appreciate the enormity of what she was asked to accept by faith? She was asked to believe that she would become pregnant without ever having relations with any man. And Mary believed.

Why do you think Mary so readily believed what Gabriel told her? Do you think it’s possible to just have that kind of trust and faith without any preparation? Was she just born that way?

I don’t think so. We know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We know from what Mary says later to Elizabeth, her cousin, that Mary knew the Word of God. She had established her faith in God’s Word, so when Gabriel brought this further Word of God to her, she was accustomed to trusting it, and it wasn’t difficult for her to trust it once more.

May I say again what I know I’ve said time and again: You’re never going to be able to trust God until you spend consistent, quality and quantity time in his Word. If some great thing comes on you which requires a lot of trust and faith on your part, and you are unprepared because you don’t consistently saturate yourself with God’s Word, don’t be surprised to discover that your faith falters, and you fail the test. You won’t be able to muster up tons of faith on the spur of the moment if you don’t make trusting God a part of your everyday life. And that comes by knowing him through his Word.

Are you in the midst of some testing now? Are you under some stress or pressure that requires faith on your part? I hope you’ve been staying in the Word of God, because that’s where that instant faith comes from at those unexpected times when you need it. You need to know the Word of God to have the kind of trust that Mary had.

How marvelous it is that, as Paul says in Galatians 4:4: But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

I pray that you have become a child of God through placing your trust in his Son, the One who was willing to come and be born of a woman so that you and I could be redeemed from the curse of the law and sin. If not, you can have that right now by confessing your sin and allowing that One born in a manger to cleanse you and give to you the full rights as his child. Until you have done that, you can never really understand what Christmas is all about.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen

We have been exploring fasting from things that keep us from the abundance we can have in a close relationship with Jesus! I am asking you to deeply consider how certain habits can take you farther from this abundance than you realize. Earlier this week we talked about social media specifically, but what about devices in general? From your phone to laptops and TVs, there are so many different devices that occupy your time.

I checked my screen time just now on my phone. I have picked it up 56 times today. Let that sink in. Since rising this morning until just after lunch, I have touched my phone to look at it 56 times. This time included a face-to-face meeting with a colleague, which means I surely picked up my phone while we were together. Being completely honest with you, I don’t even recall why.

We take work everywhere these days. Not only on our phones but on laptops. How easily do we open up work when we are with our family on the weekend or in the evenings? This was not always the case. These days, we need to be intentional about not using all the digital tools we have available that may be breaking our connections.

God created you to be in a relationship with him and to be in relationship with others. If your face is always looking at a screen, how can you build a deeper and more abundant relationship with Jesus and others around you?

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12).

God never takes his eyes from you. In fact, God knew you before you were born! You were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). He knows you so well he keeps track of how many hairs are on your head (Matthew 10:29-30). Fellow believer, he knows you by name (Exodus 33:12). God knows your heart and your thoughts (Matthew 5:8, 2 Corinthians 10:5). If God knows your thoughts, he also knows your worries (Matthew 6:24-25). He even knows your actions, and words and weaknesses (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Matthew 12:36, Proverbs 16:9).

Jesus loves you so much and is commanding you to love others as he has loved you! If you are constantly taking your eyes off those around you, this becomes significantly less possible.

How can you fast from this digital world and keep your eyes on loving others well? This includes being at work. Taking time to set boundaries can help you spend more time in gratitude for the love God has for you and help you love others.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble (Proverbs 21:23).

This short verse is a good summary of why I want you to consider true fasting from both gossip and complaining! Neither of these habits are very lifegiving, and complaining can become very prevalent in our lives when we don’t feel like we have abundance in one area or another. Considering your tongue, more specifically what you are saying, can be a good start not to only “fasting” from gossip and complaining but eliminating this from your life completely as a follower of Jesus Christ. Neither bear fruit, and gossip and complaining grieve the Holy Spirit! Both gossip and complaining are common when it comes to the workplace, and it is easy to get “sucked in” to both patterns depending on your office culture.

Draw a line and truly fast from these behaviors until they disappear!

First gossip. Exodus 23:1 begins by reminding us to not spread false reports. While not all gossip is false information, it is easy to perpetuate a rumor, especially about someone else. You know how this happens at work. It can be something related to another person’s work quality or something very personal. I can hear it now. Did you know so and so failed to meet their quota? Did you hear she is filing for divorce? Any form of information coming to you about someone else in the form of a question should be examined. Is the discussion necessary to do your job?

With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape (Proverbs 11:9).

What about complaining? Philippians 2:14 tells us to do all things without grumbling or disputing that we may be blameless and innocent. What are you prone to grumble about at work? Is it a specific task? Another person? Do you often complain about your job? I had a sweet sister in Christ tell me she was trying not to curse what blesses her. Boy did that sit heavy on my heart.

How can you “fast” from gossip and complaining? Take a minute to pause before you speak or respond to anything coming your way. If someone tries to engage you in gossip, redirect the conversation. I always like to ask another question in return. Are you sure? Have you talked to so and so directly about that? Or a statement like, we really shouldn’t be talking about so and so’s job performance.

If you find yourself wanting to complain, pray! Pray for God to change your heart or view of the situation.

I tried to keep a little log for a week. I would place a mark each time I complained or engaged in gossip. Seeing this really challenged me to quit these two bad habits and repent to God when I find myself slipping back into them.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen

Let’s think about how to find our true inner abundance in Jesus and consider how fasting from common worldly things we seek can help us draw closer to our relationship with him. As we consider fasting, one of the most common things to fast from is food. Our health crazed society has given us many takes on fasting from food from a water fast to intermittent fasting based on your body type, but all of this has more to do with your physical body. Biblical fasting from food, certain foods or drinks is focused on drawing the believer closer in their relationship to God to discern guidance or even expressing repentance or humility before God.

Abundance in the form of food is a local and global subject. It is political and economic. And it is all wrapped in an inner feeling of abundance. If you have never been in a position where you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, you already have abundance. However, with prices rising, perhaps you do feel less abundant in what foods you are able to put on the table these days.

Food not only nourishes our bodies, but sharing meals with others can be a big social focus, especially during holidays and special occasions. Food can present a struggle for some in the form of an idol. Whether it is overeating or not eating enough, thinking about food can be a big part of our lives, and we don’t even realize it. If you do struggle with food, I suggest seeking professional medical guidance before starting a fast.

Fasting from food can sharpen our focus on Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

In God’s word, we learn abundance in the form of food is something we should care about as followers of Jesus Christ. Simply, we are called to give to the poor and needy.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink (Matthew 25:35).

Jesus tells his disciples whatever was done for the least of these was done, in turn, to him.

Fasting from food, or certain foods can help bring your focus to discerning God’s will. I recently had someone tell me to try a Daniel fast. Basically, only eating as Daniel did in the Bible for a period in obedience to the Lord. You can read about this in Daniel, Chapters 1 and 10.

If you decide to fast from food, it can be a wonderful time to reflect on God’s goodness and abundant provision in your life in the form of food and a time to repent of any unhealthy habits you may have with food. You should also reflect on what God cares about in giving to those less fortunate.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen

Abundance. A state of more than enough of something. I would argue our access to viewing social media can lead us to very distorted views of what abundance truly is! In fact, social media has proven to foster a constant state of social comparison. Likes, comments, and shares are a proven dopamine-driven reward system. What do I mean? Your brain gets sucked into a pattern of needing to see all this online! It really doesn’t matter what platform we spend time on. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even LinkedIn can fuel these feelings of comparison. Inner peace and gratitude fly out the window as we look at the personal and professional lives of others online. And these can be both people we know or people we don’t!

Are you thinking about how you can acquire something someone else has? Maybe it is something simple like clothing or décor in their home, but maybe it isn’t simple. Perhaps it is a new car, or a bigger house. If you are spending time on LinkedIn, is it a new job title or someone’s new business? Maybe you aren’t comparing yourself to what someone has, but you feel pressure to post on platforms yourself! When you start to aspire to be like someone online and lose focus, feelings of abundance start to fade. And this can show up in how you “show-up” at work! Is social media taking time away from your day job?

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should focus on our abundance in relationship to him! If you are finding yourself with these feelings from social media, I would recommend a scheduled fast from the platforms you use the most. Breaking free from the instant gratification of a like, comment, or from simply seeing the things you may not have will allow you more time to seek Jesus. Only you can decide what this “fast” looks like. Do you need to institute daily time limits for each platform? Perhaps you need to delete the social media applications from your device all together for a period.

During this fast, I would recommend digging into your identity in Jesus Christ. What does Jesus say about you? As a follower of Jesus, what should your “social identity” look like and how can you show up with this identity to work? I would challenge you to check your phone for the amount of time you spend on social media applications and replace this with time in God’s word. Write down some key verses during this time that can help you stay rooted in your abundant identity in Jesus!