Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Hope is at the Heart of Christmas

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7 // Matthew 1:22-23 // Romans 15:4

Overview: The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. The passage that he writes is born of gloom and darkness. The world had felt the full weight of sin and the havoc it wreaked on all creation. Isaiah offered in chapter 9 something the Jewish people needed more than anything. Hope. Hope that one day, someone would come to make everything right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and it offers us hope in our lives today.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Find Peace In The Heart Of Christmas

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14 // Colossians 1:19-22 // Matthew 5:9

Overview: The announcement of Jesus’s birth was delivered to shepherds who lived on the fringe of society, in the fields, watching their sheep by night. If a king were born to the world, you would expect these shepherds to be the last to know about it. Yet, the heavenly angels told them peace was coming to the earth for those on whom God’s favor rested. What a shocking message! God’s favor was even on the shepherds. They were being offered peace, and if it could be given to them, we can rest assured it is offered to us as well. Now, that is good news for a world that is in turmoil!

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The Heart of Christmas Brings Joy In All Circumstances

Scripture: John 1:14 // Romans 5:8 // 1 John 4:9

Overview: The circumstances of life have a way of robbing us of joy. Disappointment, frustration, and loss can suck the very life from us; however, Jesus’s birth reminds us that, no matter how hard life is, we don’t have to go through it alone. God has come to us full of grace and truth, which should bring us joy. We can trust that Jesus’s presence with us will reveal the truth about our lives and, at the same time, will offer us the grace to see things change.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

The Heart of Christmas is Love

Scripture: Galatians 4:4-5 // Ephesians 1:3-14 // 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Overview: Jesus came into the world at just the right time. He came to free us from the crushing weight of the law. We could never be good enough to earn salvation, so Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf. Why? Because of love. God wanted us to be a part of His family. Out of love, He adopted us through the work of Christ. We are now the sons and daughters of God. Jesus is our brother, and we can rest in the love of the Father.

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024

Jesus is the Heart of Christmas

Scripture: John 3:16

Overview: The Christmas season is only fully embraced when we realize that its heart is found in the incarnation of God. God so loved His creation that He went to great lengths to rescue it by sending His Son in the flesh to suffer and die. The story of God’s love begins in a cradle but ends on a cross.