Christmas is Real: Grace

December 22, 2024 • Brad Strait

Christmas is Real: Faithfulness

December 15, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬  Think about your own heritage and family tree. Some of your relatives may be followers of Jesus, while others may be far from the Lord. Take a minute to thank God for those who came before you as examples of godliness. Now, take a minute to pray for those in your family tree who are far from God today. Would the Lord invite you to commit to praying for them daily during this Advent season? ╬ Matthew’s list of 42 generations is a fascinating study. Imagine for a moment the life experiences of the people listed. Hopes and disappointments, joys and suffering, faith and doubts combine to into extraordinary lives that make it into the listed ancestry of Jesus. Just like us, these lives are lived faithfully, and sometimes unfaithfully, before the God of mercy and love. Rehearse your own ancestry. Can you see God at work in the ups and downs of your own story? Give thanks for God’s great mercy and love.

Christmas is Real: In Control

December 8, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬  At the end of the Annunciation the angel Gabriel left Mary with the words, “For no word from God will ever fail” (1:37). How do these words express God’s sovereign control, authority, and covenantal presence? ╬  It is tempting to want to be a “control freak,” attempting to order our lives, our circumstances and the people around us. Being controlling is often a defense against a fear of the unknown or to prevent pain from suffering or loss. It separates us from Jesus. If God is good, if God loves and is present with his people, what would it be like to relinquish your illusion of control to your sovereign God? Until it is worth the risk, trying to control will continue to separate us from our Lord and Savior.