The best gifts are given not out of obligation, not for show, nor in some attempt to out-give some other giver! The best gifts are given out of a heart of love, kindness and charity. The greatest gift ever given came from a heart filled with infinite mercy, compassion and love, to those who were utterly helpless, desolate and undeserving.

What gifts will you give this Christmas?

What does love look like? Soft lights? Sweet music? Hot chocolate? We often associate love with Christmas because of the sentimentality of the season; it's enough to make anyone fall in love or give gifts! Buried, however, beneath all the glitter and emotion there is a hard and solid truth which is well worth uncovering: True love is shown through obedience and self-sacrifice. Jesus modeled it perfectly in his incarnation; He calls us to follow his example at Christmas and always.

The world today feels like a dark place: war, terrorism, violence, corruption, perversion, drought, flooding, poverty, suffering…Wouldn’t this be a good time for Christ to come again? This is precisely how the people of Israel were feeling when “in the fullness of time” the prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled and Jesus was born in Bethlehem. May we learn again this Advent season how to pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Our church is an open building site; we are the raw materials; Christ is the Architect, Builder and Cornerstone. Though it is still under construction, the Holy Spirit has already taken up residence, and all we lack is finishing up! Come quickly, Lord Jesus - to Him be the glory!

What is Jesus doing right now? We believe Jesus became a man, lived a sinless life, died for us on the cross and rose again to be exalted again to heaven. He sits at the right hand of the Father, but surely he's not just sitting there doing nothing, biding his time until its time to come again to us! Of course not! The Bible tells us he is actively ruling over his creation. He is head of his Body, the church, and he is reconciling a broken and sinful world (both people and things) to himself. Though we cannot see the whole big picture at the moment, we can see that he is indeed at work among us to bring about his eternal Kingdom. The joys and victories we experience by his grace and mercy today are only a foretaste of what we will enjoy forever in heaven.