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We're afraid that if we get too close to people whose lives are messy, we'll be contaminated. We're afraid that if we engage with people who are struggling, their problems will become our problems. We're afraid that if we associate with people others consider outsiders, we'll become outsiders too. So we keep our distance.

For Peter's entire life, he'd been taught that there were clean people and unclean people. There were insiders and outsiders. There were people you could associate with and people you couldn't. These categories weren't just social conventions. They were religious requirements. But God was telling Peter that those categories were wrong.

Jesus didn't get baptized because he needed to be purified. Jesus got baptized because he chose to identify with sinners. He chose to stand with people that everyone else said were unclean. He chose to move toward people instead of avoiding them. This is who God is. While we try to avoid what's unclean, God moves toward it. 

When we welcome outsiders, we're giving people a glimpse of this coming kingdom. When we tear down barriers instead of building them, we're showing the world what God's kingdom actually looks like. When we refuse to treat anyone as less than human, we're proclaiming that there are no outsiders in God's kingdom.

Christ didn't wait for us to get our lives together before welcoming us. Christ didn't require us to have perfect theology before inviting us in. Christ didn't demand that we prove ourselves worthy before offering us grace. Christ welcomed us while we were still sinners, still struggling, still figuring things out.

God doesn't require people to become insiders before inviting them in. God invites outsiders and makes them insiders. And when we refuse to do the same, we're not protecting God's kingdom. We're blocking people from entering it.

God chooses outsiders and makes them insiders. This is who God has always been. This is what God has always done. God doesn't choose people based on their résumés. God doesn't wait for people to clean up their lives before inviting them to be part of the story.

If you were throwing a party for the most important event in human history, who would you invite? You'd probably make a guest list of people who matter. People who are respected. People who are influential.  That's exactly what makes the story of the wise men so shocking; they were unexpected guests.

We carry Christmas forward by living every day in light of the truth that God is with us. That Jesus has come. That we are loved, forgiven, redeemed, and called to be God's people in this world. Mary and Joseph went back to normal life. But they took Jesus with them.

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old. After she married, she lived with her husband for seven years. She was now an 84-year-old widow. She never left the temple area but worshiped God with fasting and prayer night and day. She approached at that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38 CEB) Happy New Year

Tonight is New Year's Eve. In a few hours, we'll say goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026. And a lot of us will make resolutions about what we want to accomplish or change or improve in the new year. But before you make those resolutions, before you set those goals, I want you to ask yourself a question: What matters most?

We live in a world that doesn't value waiting. We want everything immediately. We expect instant results. We get frustrated when things don't happen on our timeline. But God doesn't work on our schedule.

It's been four days since Christmas. And if you're like most people, you've already started getting back to normal. Some of the decorations have come down. The wrapping paper is in the trash. The leftovers are almost gone. And mentally, you're already moving on to the next thing.

following Jesus, not just nodding to him once a year, is what we were created for. So don't pack Jesus away with the Christmas decorations. Don't treat him like something special for the season but not really relevant to your everyday life.

On Christmas morning, we receive gifts. We unwrap them. We thank the people who gave them to us. And if we're wise, we appreciate what we've been given instead of complaining about what we didn't get. But God has given us the greatest gift imaginable. He's given us himself.

Maybe we thought we needed the perfect Christmas, but what we actually needed was to learn that God's presence matters more than perfect circumstances. Maybe we thought we needed impressive decorations and expensive gifts, but what we actually needed was to remember that the simple truth of God becoming human is more valuable than anything

Real power isn't about dominating others. It's not about forcing people to do what you want. It's not about building yourself up by tearing others down. Real power is the power to change hearts. The power to transform lives. The power to love people who don't deserve it and serve people who can't repay you.

We all have expectations. About our jobs. About our relationships. About our families. About our lives. And especially about Christmas. But when those expectations aren't met, when Christmas doesn't turn out the way we hoped it would, we feel let down.

If God is asking you to do something and you're not sure you're hearing him right, if God is calling you to something and you're not sure you're qualified, if God is inviting you to be part of his story and you're full of doubts and questions...you're in good company. Joseph felt the same way. But he said yes anyway. And God used him in ways he never could have imagined.

God didn't just look at humanity from a distance and say, "Oh, that looks hard." God came down and lived it. He walked in our shoes. He experienced what we experience. He knows what we're going through because he's been through it too. That's Emmanuel. That's God with us.