In only a few short days it is Christmas. I invite you right now, and in the days to come, to take even a few moments to stop. We all know there is something special in this season. Even with all the advertisements and expectations blaring at us, we can see feel that there is something wonderful about this story of God becoming a little baby so that he might be with us, even depend on us. Because of that, this becomes a special season where God feels especially close. All we have to do is stop and acknowledge him and he is right there.

It can be easy to feel that just because Jesus isn't physically beside us, he isn't here. Christmas Eve, we will be focusing on John's poetic story of God's Word becoming flesh and seeing how this is a special reminder that God is with us. He is with us in so many ways that are accessible, present and life changing, even if we aren't holding baby Jesus. He is in our midst, we walk beside him, we eat with him and if we let him he lives in our words and in us. God is here and he wants you to know him, as he already knows you.

Our kids and youth will be taking over this Sunday as they retell the story of Jesus in our annual pageant. It is always a Sunday of fun and playfulness where you never know what will happen.

That fun, playfulness, and unexpectedness, is also what comes with being in a relationship with God. He is a truly creative God, who creates with a word. So we don’t always know what will come, but because we know God, we know it will be good.

Everyone loves good news. I know that some of you are even waiting for good news in particular. With so much going on in this world right now and in our lives, we need good news, we need hope.

Thank God, that we have the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, which can be good news for all those that are willing to receive it. We get the vision this Sunday of someone running to us with good news. Even seeing them coming is wonderful, but then their good news fills us with joy and good news. This Sunday, we are going to dig into what makes the gospel such good news that can speak to everyone.

Warnings can be kind of scary. I remember as a child walking into the wrong section in the German airport (thinking it was a bathroom), and suddenly coming face to face with an angry man carrying a submachine gun. I quickly turned around and went the other way. This warning was scary because I knew my life was on the line and that there must have been something important.

God's warnings can be just as scary because he tells us the consequences of our lives and actions. He tries to show us what evil leads to, while also showing us the way to get out of it. God's warnings are different though, because they always offer us a way out, and more than that, they always offer us new and abundant life. The amazing thing about God's warnings is that they are always warnings of hope. Here we see that a simple word of warning can change our lives and give us something amazing and new.