He Gave

He Gave us His Son

December 23, 2021 • Eddie Williams • Matthew 1:18–25

Christmas always feels like such a special season, even to those who aren’t believers. We tend to get a sense of longing for purpose or fulfillment during the holidays, implicitly hoping that Christmas day will give us what we seek. Unfortunately, there is always this letdown after Christmas ends and regular life resumes. But that doesn’t mean Christmas can’t provide us answers to our deepest longings. It turns out, Christmas fulfillment will find us when we find the source of the Christmas season. If we discover Jesus, we discover an immeasurable fulfillment that gives us purpose for our everyday lives. Then we are free to live with peace and on mission, as God intended with a perfect eternity in mind.

He Gave us Provision

December 19, 2021 • Eddie Williams • John 6:1–14

The Christmas season reminds us that, as westerners, we do have a lot compared to other parts of the world. Even the poorest among us live incredibly well compared to people in other countries. It is difficult not to feel self-sufficient in a world where we feel all of our needs are met. However, our desire for purpose and meaning should demonstrate to us that there are things we need that we cannot provide ourselves. In John 6:1-14, we see Jesus providing for his people. His instinctual love for us provides for us in ways we don’t understand. His death and resurrection meet the truest needs we have, even if we don’t see them all of the time.

He Gave us Hope

December 12, 2021 • Eddie Williams • Isaiah 9:6

Hope does so much for the human spirit. It presses us forward in life, continuing with vision so that our desired hopes come to fruition. Hope allows us to experience hardship or despair and press on, knowing there's a future hope to be revealed. Hope also excites us, providing synergy for our future endeavors. Hope comes in many forms, but the ultimate hope comes in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem 2000+ years ago. In Baby Jesus, God presents us with a hope that the evil, injustice, brokenness, and hardship that plagues our world would finally be destroyed. This hope is not just temporal, it is eternal, giving us a spiritual future to look forward to.

He Gave Us Family

December 5, 2021 • Eddie Williams • Matthew 1:1–16

Christmas is that time of year where family gets together and celebrities the holidays. For Christians, it is a time to come together and reflect on how Jesus coming into the world blesses us. Unfortunately, many of us are away from our families or don’t have much family to speak of. And some of us have contentious relationships with our families. At the heart of the Christmas story is a message of unity surrounding family. Jesus was adopted by Joseph and many in Jesus lineage have odd histories that complicate his family tree. Despite or brokenness, hard pasts, or tension-filled relationships, God still welcomes us into his family, bringing healing to those that need it and community to those that lack it. God is our eternal father, and his tender heart is on full display during Christmas.

He Gave Generously, We Give Generously

November 28, 2021 • Eddie Williams • 2 Corinthians 8:1–15

Generosity isn’t simply a way to transfer wealth or possessions to others who have less than you. It turns out there is something inside you that instinctively wants to serve those who are in need. We are all people made in God’s image, and as a result, we want to do as our creator has done. Since our God is fundamentally a giver, we have a deep desire to give as well. God has given us his son Jesus to be the substitute for our sin. When we take Jesus as our Lord, we inherit a generous spirit, one that should desire to bless others. We may sometimes find ourselves not wanting to give our resources. Behind that mindset is a missed opportunity to live in sync with god’s created order for the world, which is rooted in radically, condition-less generosity.

Doxa Church - WA

Advent 2021