We celebrate tonight because on Christmas Jesus was born. He was God With Us! Jesus is the gift that the world had been waiting for. Even though we may not realize it yet, He is the gift that we truly need…
This Christmas, I don’t want you to just believe that God loves you, I want you to experience His loving presence with you, bringing you fullness of life. Invite Him into the anxious moments. The awkward moments. The quiet moments. And watch what happens when love moves close. But we’re not only supposed to be receivers of God’s love, we are meant to be conduits of God’s love, bringing His loving presence to others…
We often associate Christmas with circumstantial happiness – lights, decorations, presents, treats, Hallmark endings… but the Christian celebration of Advent has more to do with joy in the midst of shadows. It’s moving forward in the darkness believing the dawn will break.
We need to remember, peace or shalom is not escape from this messy world. Shalom is a person and a process. It’s repair. It’s like taking a broken plate and instead of throwing it away, fixing it. Making it whole again. It won’t be flawless, but it will be complete.
Pr. 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick...”
The nation of Israel was dealing with generational heartache. And we were not unfamiliar with that… most of us carry a few deferred hopes of our own… But this passage in Proverbs doesn’t end with disappointment, it ends with a promise, “…but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Advent lives between the sickness of deferred hope and the sudden blooming of a promise kept. Between the ache and the arrival. Between the long night and the first glimmer of dawn.
God’s compassion always finds a way forward. In Noah, there was a glimmer of faith that God could work with - one obedient heart that gave God the reason He was looking for to show mercy.
That same compassion runs through every page of Scripture. God keeps choosing mercy over wrath. He keeps searching for the one heart that will respond. Ultimately, He sends us Jesus - who took the chaos of sin upon Himself so that we could find rest, relief, and comfort in Him.
No matter how chaotic or broken life has become for you… God’s compassion still reaches into the mess. He is the God who rescues remnants, restores the repentant, and rebuilds what sin has destroyed.
God’s heart breaks for His creation, but it also still beats with mercy. There is always hope for those who turn back to Him.
God gives humans a chance to do the right thing with His world, but we keep ruining it instead. These stories show us that we live in a good world gone bad. We’ve all chosen to define good and evil for ourselves and have contributed to a world of broken relationships, conflict, violence, and ultimately death…
But there is still hope – God is gracious – and He promises a day when a descendent will come who will defeat evil at its source. Despite humanity’s insistence to continue to choose sin, God is determined to bless and rescue His world…
We were never meant to live behind leaves and lies. As God’s image-bearers, we are called to reflect His goodness in a world still marked by shame and blame. The story of Genesis 3 isn’t just about humanity’s failure—it’s about God’s ongoing invitation to restoration. So, drop the fig leaves, receive His grace, and go out as agents of His healing and renewal in a broken world.
"Would you feel comfortable marrying someone who wanted to keep the relationship a secret? Neither does God. It’s one thing to say in the privacy of your own heart that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. But it’s quite another to walk out of the shadows and stand before family, friends, and colleagues to state publicly that Christ is your forgiver and Master. This step raises the ante.” - MAX LUCADO