The Christian life can often seem like a long list of rules and expectations. However, Jesus never called us to change our behavior through our own effort. Instead, He's called us to remain in His presence and then promised that our lives would bear fruit.

All followers of Jesus are sent into the world just as the Father sent Jesus into the world. The story that they are living out is characterized by joy because the resurrection of Jesus has assured them of eternal life available for all who will surrender to Jesus. They also rejoice because the Holy Spirit empowers them to accomplish the mission no matter the difficulties or complications they will encounter.

The deep desire in the heart of God is to see men and women reconciled to Him. We have been invited into His plan as the vehicles through which the message of Jesus is spoken, both through our words and our lives.

The Word of God shows us the perfection of God and the best way to live as well as how far short we fall of that perfection. That same Word also reveals the cure for our sin and becomes the way that we grow more like Jesus.

We are created to worship. However, much of the fallen world stands in the way of that worship, and it's only through Jesus that we can truly engage the eternal. Worship orients our lives back to what is true.

Among everything that God created, people are His most prized possession. When we affirm the value of one another, we align our hearts with the heart of God. Real connection to one another is an indispensable part of showing and receiving that value.

Our call as a people is simple, but not always easy. We are called to follow God. We must remain with the cloud, not ahead of it, or behind it. When we are moving with the move of God, we will see incredible things happen.

Simeon's song is a gift to us because it's the clear reminder that salvation is for all. His song is both an invitation and a proclamation.

The angel's famous words are unmistakable: It's really happened! God has come among us! Where the presence of the Savior is, there is an invitation into worship and peace.

Zechariah's song is a vivid reminder that God has sent Jesus among us, that He comes to save us, and that we, like John the Baptist, are called to prepare the way of the Lord in our own lives and within the world around us.