Advent, the season of expectation and preparation, turns our hearts toward the marvelous truth that Jesus came so that our joy may be complete. John 15:11 summarizes this profound promise when Jesus tells his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” This isn’t a wishful thought; it’s the very purpose of his coming. More Than a Feeling The joy Jesus speaks of is not the fleeting happiness of a holiday morning

Since we are in the middle of Advent 2025, now is a great time to reflect on some of the biblical passages that we sing in our Advent hymns. The two hymns that I will focus on in this article are primarily about prophecies in the Old Testament that foretell Jesus’ coming. Part of the inspiration for this post comes from the Nine Lessons and Carols service, originally held in Truro, England, in 1890 and later established by King’s College, Cambridge, in 1918. These services us

Life can hit us hard. When it rains, it pours. The struggles we face in our modern 21st century are eerily similar to those experienced by people who lived centuries ago. Suffering is a common thread among humanity… and Jesus is the cure—not to remove our suffering—but to give us peace through that suffering. Jesus told his disciples the night before his crucifixion, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts

It’s always ironic to me that after Thanksgiving—a holiday to pause, reflect, and give thanks—Black Friday follows immediately after. It’s a day of deals, frenzy, and the push to buy more and more. Buying things isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s striking how quickly the world tries to steer our hearts from gratitude toward discontentment, comparison, and a scarcity mindset.   But Jesus teaches us an upside-down way of living.  He taught lessons like: "the first shall be last,"