On Sunday, we’ll learn more about what gold, frankincense, and myrrh represented. For now, I hope you’ll reflect on this scene: Weary, stinky travelers from a far-off land who are outside of Jesus’ tight-knit Jewish community. They haven’t grown up hearing the stories of the Hebrew heroes. Yet they recognize the Divine when they find him. And their response is to rejoice, to worship, and to offer gifts that only they can give.
Read MoreI wonder what renewal looks like in your life. Maybe it’s a new notebook to begin the semester. Perhaps it’s the feeling of entering the ocean and feeling the waves wash away the sand from your skin. Maybe it’s giving or receiving forgiveness in a relationship, then doing the fragile work of reconciliation.
Read MoreChristmas is usually a season of great joy and light, but this year it may feel more like a season of great darkness and shadows. So many things can make this season hard–death, illness, job loss, financial difficulties, broken family relationships, chronic pain to name a few. 2020 has added even more—the coronavirus pandemic, election angst, systemic racism, and the list goes on! It’s no wonder you may be feeling sad, depressed, and overwhelmed at the thought of celebration.
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