What are your Christmas traditions? Do you put up a Christmas tree? Do you give gifts? Do you have a gathering of family and friends on Christmas day? Have you ever noticed what we leave out of our Christmas traditions? For example, we generally leave King Herod out of our nativity set because we see him as the story’s villain. Yet as the villain, he helps us understand who we should be in contrast.
When it comes to the Christmas story, Joseph is the man in the shadows. He is often forgotten and almost invisible. So why do we need Joseph? When Mary tells Joseph that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit, this news hits him like a ton of bricks. Mary’s pregnancy creates a serious dilemma for him. How he handles this crisis explains why he is essential to the story.
On this first Sunday in Advent, we focus on Mary’s Magnificat. It is a beautiful song that is confrontational. There is nothing meek or mild about Mary’s song. At times governments have prohibited the out-loud reading of this song by Mary. How might it direct our living today?
People who give thanks are healthier and happier. They have more friends, they do better at school, and they thrive at work. Being grateful has fantastic benefits. If you deal with depression or anxiety, giving thanks can help tremendously. But we frequently forget to give thanks. Often there is a gratitude gap in our lives. In this message, we find ways to make Thanksgiving a rhythm in our life.
You might’ve failed at something. You might feel guilt and regret as a result. But the best part of our life might be after the failure. So long as we learn the lessons from that failure. In the message today, this is a lesson Jesus teaches Peter.
Guilt is our conscience reminding us that we should have done better. We know we have done something wrong, and we deserve the consequences of our actions. In this week’s message, we learn how Jesus works with a man who felt incredibly guilty when he did what he proclaimed he would never do.
Who do people say that Jesus is? The Barna Research organization reports that nine in ten American adults say Jesus was a real person, but only 56% believe Jesus is God. The question was so important that Jesus takes a poll and asks his disciples what they heard others say. Their answers vary. Then he asks his disciples what they think. Of course, it is Peter who hits the nail on the head.
When we face difficult times, we might feel like we’re in the midst of darkness and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, we don’t see hope. Some of us might describe it as being in the midst of a storm, and we worry the waves will swamp our boat. A storm threatened to sink Peter and the disciples’ boat, but Jesus arrived on the scene and caused them to think differently. Peter even requested to take a risky step while the other disciples were boat potatoes.
Simon Peter is mentioned in the gospels about two hundred times. In those passages, he sometimes gets it wrong. Other times he shows tremendous courage. And then, in a different moment, Saul argues with Jesus. He is a flawed but faithful disciple of Jesus. Through his story, we can learn how to be better followers of Jesus.
Sometimes people beat themselves up about their friendships. Why is that? Some medical studies report that fewer friends lead to higher stress and shorter life. There is value to having friends over the long term. That’s no surprise to most of us. You might wonder if you have enough friends. In this message, we will look at the importance of stretcher-bearer friends.