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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 doesn't take long after Christmas comes to an end for us to put away our presents, pack away our decorations, throw away the shreds of wrapping paper, and move on to the next thing. But what if part of the reason we feel let down when Christmas comes to an end is because we rush right past it? Maybe if we learn to hold on to the meaning of Christmas we won't feel so disappointed.

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 a picture in our minds of what Christmas should look like. We want to give and receive the perfect gifts. We want to throw the perfect gatherings. We want all of our decorations to look perfect. But we get disappointed when reality doesn't match our expectations. But the Christmas story reminds us that we don't have to feel let down when things don't go the way we expect. Because sometimes, when we don't get what we want that's when we really get what we need.

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.

As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21 CEB) Joseph was at the lowest point of his life. His engagement was over. His future was gone. His heart was broken. And he'd made the

Doing the right thing isn't always rewarded. Sometimes it's punished. Sometimes it costs us everything. Sometimes it leaves us feeling completely alone. But God sees. God knows. And God doesn't abandon people who do the right thing, even when it costs them everything.

We think of Christmas as a time for family gatherings, attending parties, and just being with the people we love. So we can easily feel let down at Christmas when we don't fit in with our family, or get invited to any parties, or have people we feel close to. But even though Christmas is a time when we can feel alone, Jesus' birth reminds us that God is always with us.

We've all had moments when everything fell apart. When the life we thought we were building suddenly crumbled. When the person we trusted betrayed us. When the future we'd been counting on disappeared. If that's how you're feeling, I want you to know: you're not alone. God sees you. God knows what you're going through.

There it is. The heart of Christmas in two verses. God loved the world. Not just you. Not just me. Not just people who look like us or think like us or believe like us. The world. All of us. Every single person.

You don't have to save the world to make Christmas meaningful. You don't have to do something extraordinary to share the love of Christ. You just have to notice the people around you and do something – anything – to help.