Some find any celebration of Jesus as little more than an irritant. But for us who believe, Christmas is only the beginning of his offer to us.

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

Some daily responsibilities will continue, but we also have new and fresh possibilities for what God can do in us and through us as we offer ourselves and our talents to him.

As we begin this new year, what do you need to let go of or close from last year? What in your life needs to drop in your celebration of 2023’s arrival?

Whether your year will be smooth or riddled with unanticipated trouble, God will provide the resource for choosing the second option.

I have lost track of how many of the prophets told us to wait for the Lord, look for the Lord, be silent before the Lord, make our complaint to the Lord, and other similar messages.

I often experience significant stress. There are times I feel like I am locked in, locked out, and locked down. And in moments like these, there is only one who can bring me peace.

Anyone feeling up to tackling some of Job’s questions? Those who will may find answers for the dilemmas in their own lives.

I’ve been through a whirlwind, and I’ve heard the “Peace be still” of Jesus. I can only wish the same for every reader.

Go ahead and relax now that the Christmas scurry is over. And while you’re resting, think about all God may have for you to do in 2023.

Over and over Jesus allowed sinful man to bind him, lead him, send him, take him, flog him, strike him, deliver him, and crucify him. No resistance, only humility and surrender motivated by love.

There is one familiar passage in Micah that always appears in Advent and Christmas celebrations. There is a second one in Micah that I would suggest we also consider during our Advent preparations.

Our focus this Advent should raise the question anew: Whom do we seek as we approach Christmas?

The words of this grand chorus come solely from scripture. Most of the lines come straight from the book of Revelation. You can hear the magnificent melody as you read this line from Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Only few saw the newborn King face-to-face, but his prayer is that one day all of us will see him and know God’s glory.

The specific prayers of Jesus for you and me never end, and there’s one prayer whose vision is most important of all.

The angels sang “Glory to God,” but Jesus demonstrated God’s glory in all he did and said.

Most of us have watched a child make his requests to Santa Claus. No harm in that, of course, unless we tend to think this is something like our relationship with God.

Jesus knew some would hate him and others would hate those who love him. Even though this is still happening today, we can move forward with love.

There always seems to be a frenetic pace in December. Everything we were doing the first 11 months of the year continues, but December adds a significant amount of extras.