December 24, 2022 • Dave D'Angelo • Luke 2:4–7, Micah 5:2, John 1:29, John 6:27–35, Matthew 2:1–4
When we think of Christmas and Jesus’ birth, we usually focus on the big moments of the story. Sometimes we miss the smaller details that are as equally as important. God chose the small town of Bethlehem to put Jesus on this earth. This was the same spot where the Passover lambs were raised. Jesus became the Passover lamb for all of humanity. God’s only son, sinless and perfect on earth, sacrificed His life and blood as a once and for all sacrifice. Jesus’ earthly birth that we celebrate at Christmas declares an end of sacrificing, rituals, and the idea that we must work to earn favor with God. Jesus’ earthly beginning also puts an end to our soul’s deepest hungers. He is the bread of life and only He can truly satisfy.
Longing for a Savior
December 18, 2022 • Amanda Beggs
What are you wishing for in your life right now? What do you want to end? All the grief, pain, anxiety, and suffering make us long for endings. Our longing for endings is actually our longing for a Savior. In this fallen world, we experience sin and struggle. But there is hope. God sent a savior to break the curse of sin and end it all. We are saved. God sent Jesus not only to reveal Himself but to bring us to Himself. In Him, we can find all the endings that our hearts are longing for.
Beginnings to Ends
December 11, 2022 • Dave D'Angelo • Matthew 1:2–6, Galatians 3:25–29, Matthew 1:18–20, Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 1:1
Throughout the Christmas season, we tend to focus on and celebrate the newness Jesus brings into the world. But there is also amazing peace to be found by looking at the things His beginning brings an end to. In Christ, there is no inside or outsider restriction, only faith. There are no binding labels from our past, Jesus wiped them clean. His earthly beginning ends the lines that we draw between us and God. Jesus’ birth is an introduction to eternal life for all of us if we are willing to believe.
