The longer we live in a broken world, the easier it is to lose our anticipation and our expectation about life and about God. This loss can be particularly felt at Christmas time, which is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But Luke chapter 1 tells the story that set the stage for Christmas. As we read it, it gives hope and expectation for our own Christmas celebration. Luke shows us how to regain an eager sense of expectation for Christmas, just by telling the story.

The longer we live in a broken world, the easier it is to lose our anticipation and our expectation about life and about God. This loss can be particularly felt at Christmas time, which is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But Luke chapter 1 tells the story that set the stage for Christmas. As we read it, it gives hope and expectation for our own Christmas celebration. Luke shows us how to regain an eager sense of expectation for Christmas, just by telling the story.

For adults, the day before Christmas flies by. But for kids, Christmas expectations can be so high that the days leading up to Christmas can feel eternally long. That was how believers before the first Christmas felt. They were waiting and waiting for the Messiah to come. And he seemed to be taking forever. In the middle of this, we meet a couple who faithfully waited and waited and waited for God to show up. But they refused to lower their expectations.  What about you? Are you stuck in a waiting room? Don’t lose your expectation. How? By remembering that he has taken away our disgrace.

Has your life gone according to script? Has your career, or family, or health, or relationships gone according to plan, or does it seem like the script has changed... or that it keeps changing? It’s hard to keep your balance when the rug is pulled out from under you. But Mary shows us how to process our worry and concern, and how to have unwavering trust in God when your script is flipped.

Christmas can cause all kinds of anxiety and stress. The demands and expectations that the holiday places on you can be overwhelming. If you think getting ready for Christmas is stressful, try getting ready to give birth to God. Mary teaches us that the way to move past Christmas stress, anxiety, and fear is to worship.

Outside of Jesus, who is the greatest person who ever lived? Our world assigns greatness to people who are great AT something – at singing a song, throwing a football... at making money. But there’s a difference between being “great at” and being “great”. what would it take to be called "great" in God's book? The Scriptures don't discourage our desire for greatness, they simply offer a way to achieve greatness that is counterintuitive to our world. But if we want to know what it means to be great in God's eyes, we have to get to know John.