Jesus frames the sabbath as a time in which our God-centered focus brings renewal and restoration. Sabbath rest is part of what forms us to be more complete disciples of Jesus.
To follow after Jesus is to adopt his overall lifestyle as our own and arrange our daily life around his presence and peace. This does not begin with doing, it begins with stopping.
The gift of Jesus at Christmas is more than a gift of forgiveness and salvation; the gift we receive through Christ is the gift of an eternal covenant family to which we belong.
The peace of God which we celebrate at Christmas is about more than absence of conflict; it is about wholeness. Jesus comes into the world and gives himself for us so that we could be made whole again.
So much of what we experience as joy at Christmas centers on the people we get to be with at Christmas. So also, the joy we experience in God at Christmas is not just what Jesus does FOR his people, it is primarily what Jesus does to be WITH his people.
A perfect gift reflects both the giver and the one receiving the gift. In the birth of Jesus, God gives a gift of love that reflects both God’s generosity of grace, as well as our need to receive God’s grace.
Hope is a gift from God that orients the focuses and direction of our faith towards the promises of God.
To the extent that fear is a choice we make, the apostle John offers an alternative choice instead of fear. The choice to love not only deepens our union with Christ, it is the remedy to fear.
Scripture reminds us that the perfect glory of God is revealed in Christ; yet at the same time, we carry that gospel message as imperfect people.