The birth of Jesus Christ brought great joy. Even before he was born, when his mother, Mary, met with her cousin Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44). When a mighty host of angels appeared to lowly shepherds, the angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus by saying, “Fear …

’Tis the season to be jolly—right? Just because we sing it and say it doesn’t necessarily make it true. The joy of Christmas—something that comes so naturally when we are children—can feel increasingly unattainable as we grow older. As we face more hardships and go through darker trials, our joy can grow dull. What can …

What are you grieving this Christmas? What makes you anxious as you approach the year’s end? Christmas may be a time of joy, but the gaps in our joy become all the clearer for that. In your discomfort and pain, where do you look for solace?  During a dark period of political oppression, Simeon awaited …

“God wants you to be happy!” I sometimes wonder if those of us in the Reformed world view such statements with mild suspicion. He desires us to be holy, sure. He wants us to walk in the truth, of course. But happy? At best, it’s a low-priority side benefit. Yet the angels announced the coming …

Christmas can be a difficult time of year for married couples. You face financial pressures, packed calendars, divergent expectations—not to mention time with your in-laws. Amid the chaos, you may feel like you have no time to nurture your relationship with your spouse. But I want to cast the Christmas season in a different light. …