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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.

We've all seen the wise men in nativity sets, but we rarely ask who they actually were. They were foreign priests who practiced a different religion and worshiped different gods. They were outsiders in every way. But God chose them to be among the first to worship Jesus while leaving the religious insiders behind. What does that reveal about who belongs in God's kingdom?

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.