Upside down JOY
Joy is fleeting. We can fabricate joy for a moment, but almost as quickly, it is gone. So we focus our lives on running from one moment of joy to the next, knowing that if we stop, we will have to face the reality that we are not really satisfied. Jesus came into the world […]
Upside down PEACE
Our lives are a mess; we are not at peace. We fill our lives with all sorts of things that promise us some level of peace. They never produce. At Christmas, Jesus makes a promise to bring about a complete remaking of all things. He is peace, so He will bring peace.
Upside down LOVE
God is love. This means that love has always been part of creation and was how God related to His world. It wasn’t until the incarnation that God showed this love in human form. Jesus is God’s love made manifest. It is in knowing this love that we can learn to love one another as […]
Upside down HOPE
We begin the ADVENT season by looking back at the prophets who pointed to the coming Messiah. We spend time in Isaiah 40, specifically, with a view on how our understanding of God’s character leads to hope.
The Magi | Praise…in worship
The wise men from the East search out the king represented by the anomaly in the night sky. When they find Jesus, they fall down at His feet to worship. Their response to the king models for us a life of worship that we should all reflect.
Shepherds | Joy…in humility
The shepherds were an unimportant people who did a necessary, but lowly, job. As the sky fills with angels, they are elevated to the position of witnesses of the incarnation. They quickly go from being a people who have no real place in this world to a people who are an important part of God’s […]
Joseph | LOVE…in purpose | Matthew 1.18-25
We all know that Joseph is one of the main characters of the story, but he doesn’t have many speaking lines. What does the Bible have to teach us about the character of Joseph?
Simeon/Anna | Peace…in redemption
The story of Simeon and Anna is about two older saints who got to see the fulfillment of all of their hope in the last days of their lives. They had lived a lifetime for God without receiving the promise, and here at the end, they are given peace in the form of a child. […]
Zechariah/Elizabeth | HOPE…in fulfillment
Zechariah and Elizabeth were an older barren couple who were anticipating the highlight of their life: Zechariah lighting the candles in the holy place. Little did they know that God had much more in store for them.
JOY
In order to experience the anticipation of Jesus coming, we have to be excited for Him to come. It is easy for us to get excited about the temporary things that are right in front of us; things that are easy to get and that offer an immediate gratification. In Jesus, we get the gift […]
Page 1 of 2