Thomas VanderPloeg

The peace of God which we celebrate at Christmas is about more than absence of conflict; it is about wholeness. Jesus comes into the world and gives himself for us so that we could be made whole again.

So much of what we experience as joy at Christmas centers on the people we get to be with at Christmas. So also, the joy we experience in God at Christmas is not just what Jesus does FOR his people, it is primarily what Jesus does to be WITH his people.

A perfect gift reflects both the giver and the one receiving the gift. In the birth of Jesus, God gives a gift of love that reflects both God’s generosity of grace, as well as our need to receive God’s grace.

Hope is a gift from God that orients the focuses and direction of our faith towards the promises of God.

On this day we set aside for giving thanks, let’s take a few moments and consider this story from the gospel of Luke which teaches us a little something about gratitude. It is a story full of surprises. Maybe we miss those surprises because our culture is so far removed from the day of Jesus. However,…

Today is the last in a series paying attention to all the times in which the Bible commands us to not be afraid. I have noted in the past weeks that scripture tells us over 100 times to not be afraid. In the past weeks we have examined that command in light of related features. We have noticed how worry…

Scripture reminds us that the perfect glory of God is revealed in Christ; yet at the same time, we carry that gospel message as imperfect people.

Fear in our world grows and expands when we add worrying. One of the ways the Bible tells us to push fear aside is by putting our worries aside.