The last Sunday of Advent focuses on love. Love is what the world needs. Love is what every single person needs. This is both what Christmas and the gospel offers us.
Read MoreHow do we think about joy in hard times? On the third Sunday of Advent, purple candles turn pink as the church looks for signs of Christ shining through today's darkness. From Philippians 4, Dave encourages us toward the goodness and justice of joy at Christmas.
Read MoreIn Isaiah 2, the Bible predicts a future where all the nations of the earth will melt down their weapons into gardening tools because there will be no more war. For the second week of Advent, Dave invites us to imagine such a future, and long for the peace that's only possible with the Advent of Christ.
Read MoreIt's the first Sunday of Advent, a season when we remember that we are waiting for Jesus to come again. This waiting requires faith. When we struggle to believe, we remember that Jesus gives faith to both the faithless and unfaithful because He is faithful.
Read MoreWhen people learned Jesus was a healer, they flocked to him in droves. In today's story, we not only learn that Jesus has the power to heal and raise the dead. We also learn that Jesus is after more than just healing. What else does Jesus want for us?
Read MoreWhat is behind the world's brokenness? The gospels not only show Jesus performing miracles to restore people's life and health. That alone is not enough, because behind these physical needs is a spiritual enemy ready to hurt and kill again. In this passage, Jesus casts out demons -- proving that demons are real but that Jesus is stronger.
Read MoreWhen something is beautiful; when it’s beauty overwhelms us; when we know where treasure is, we drop everything and we run to it. When you are desperate for a savior and you know you can find one in Jesus, you run. You make haste. You do not delay. Nothing else matters. Nothing is as important in that moment as getting to Jesus. That’s what the Shepherds did when Jesus was born. Will we also make haste to meet Him?
Read MoreOn the third Sunday of Advent, we light the pink candle of joy. But Advent's theme is waiting. How can we be joyful during seasons of waiting?
Read MoreThis week we begin a study in the book of Luke for Advent. The story from Luke 1 is about Zechariah and Elizabeth waiting for a son, waiting for the Messiah. It invites us to ask ourselves "what am I waiting for?"
Read MoreIs the Book of Ruth just an Old Testament romance? Or is there something more behind this story? What is God after in this story? Chapter 4 explains the second story behind the story of Ruth, points to the birth of Christ, and gives us hope for our own stories.
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