The heart is the ground that needs urgent preparation.

The point of Sabbath rest is not following certain rules (do this; don’t do that) but for receiving and giving true refreshment.

Who is Jesus, and what does it mean to follow him? That is the question that motivated Mark to record the story of Jesus, available to us as the second book of the Bible’s New Testament. As we encounter this story today, how will we respond? Will we hear the call of Jesus to follow him, not as a distant call but as a personal and immediate one? And what does it look like to respond to the call of Jesus today?

Following Jesus as the Son of God requires humility (repent), trust (believe), and commitment (follow).

Christmas is a chance to move closer to those in crisis.  We will love others as Jesus has loved us. The poor and hurting of our world can be reached by God through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas.  The love of God is magnificent - b/c of this love, we ought to be incredibly aggressive and love the world in radical ways - we ought to out-love everyone else in the world.

The best gifts celebrate a relationship and most often they require our time and energy. Relational giving means that we think about the other person - who they are and what they care about. We focus more on giving our undivided presence and less on a pile of presents under the tree.

In our hearts we know mindless consumption is not the way to celebrate Jesus. But spending less does not mean spend nothing. Rather, we will thoughtfully evaluate what companies and causes we support through our purchases.

Nearly every character in the Christmas story that encountered our King responded in the same way: worship. In each story, we see that worship being fleshed out in unique ways. Mary worships by making much of God. Elizabeth worships by making room. Joseph worships by making commitments. The shepherds worship by making known the good news. The magi worship by making time to pursue. What does it look like for you to worship fully in this Advent season?

If we are already as close to God as possible through union with Christ, then spiritual disciplines are not the means of drawing closer to God, but the means of growing in awareness and enjoyment of our union with Christ. Spiritual disciplines are about creating the conditions in which we can savor our union with Christ and continue to conform to his image. Just as Jesus was one with the Father and yet had intentional practices of connecting with the Father, so we too need to establish practices that enable us to savor and deepen our communion with God in union with Christ.