Advent Reflections Podcast

<p>In this Psalm 72, David expresses his longing for a King that will bring God’s ultimate, of a world set right. He’s anxious for a King who will lead God’s people in all of the Lord’s ways. He longs for a ruler that...

<p>The winter solstice will arrive next week with the longest period of darkness of any day of the year. And sometimes life can mirror this darkness as we reflect on painful parts of the year or when we’re lonely and...

<p>In sending Jesus, God announced that he was putting the world back together. He would redeem and restore and heal what sin has so thoroughly damaged. He would bring us back home into a relationship with him. The...

<p>The book of John views the Christmas Story from a different perspective. John uses figurative language to describe Jesus’ birth, saying “the eternal Word of God came in the flesh and lived among us.” What an...

<p>Luke makes it clear that everyone is invited to the party, Jesus’ birthday party that is – even the shepherds. And the good news of great joy for all people is that the Messiah is finally here! This great joy is...

<p>There are a few precious times in life where we are just bursting with joy. These are the happy exclamation marks and happy face emojis in the midst of life. When you want to dance around with a friend or sing a...

<p>It is joy that is possible because the coming of Jesus brings wayward people back to the Father. Jesus’ coming means broken families will be restored, rebellious people will find wisdom, and people will be open to...

<p>God grants his peace to those who seek Him. For those who consider every circumstance an opportunity to rejoice, God’s peace dwells in them and protects them. For the one who faithfully comes to Him in prayer amidst...

<p>How has Jesus brought you peace? Can you think of ways that you have witnessed God keeping his promises to you? Maybe He rescued you from certain circumstances. Maybe He gave you strength that you didn’t have, or He...

<p>Who wants a God who can be easily explained?! Why do we insist on having a God we can tie down, box up, explain with science or our own understanding? If God can’t make a virgin conceive, how in the world is God...

<p>Perhaps one way that God’s peace can come to us this Christmas is through the reminder that His Word can be trusted. May it bring you peace to know that Jesus’ birth story isn’t just a Hallmark nicety but a real...

<p>When we are threatened or stressed or anxious and desperately longing for peace--or when it seems like all we’ve got left is just a stump--the promise “Just you wait” may still not put us at ease right away. </p>...

<p>With the advent (or arrival) of Jesus, God announces that he is fulfilling his promise. This Prince of Peace has been born to us. Right into a warring, tumultuous world—in the hotbed of the Middle East, no less. He...

<p>True love is not some spiritual secret that God has tucked away for only a select few to experience in some enlightened state of consciousness. No, true love has been revealed to us. God’s love shows up in real...

<p>To watch Jesus is to witness a descent, a literal fall from glory—down, down, down to the straw bed of an animal feeding trough where he was placed at birth, down further to a cross and then a grave where he was laid...