Sermon Summary

Join us as we celebrate the Christmas season with our Lead Minister, Kriste, bringing a word at our hampers service, asking the question, What's Next? She reminds us that just like a mystery puzzle, life’s "what’s next?" moments can be uncertain, but through Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, we receive good news of peace, joy, and love that calls us to live by loving God and others, trusting God to guide us even when we don’t see the full picture.

Key Takeaways

1. Take the next faithful step: We don’t often get choirs of angels telling us what to do next. But Scripture, the Spirit, and wise community give enough light for the step in front of us. Obedience is usually ordinary: do the next right thing with courage. Over time, those small steps assemble a picture we couldn’t have planned

2. Christmas is a Wasgij of grace: The manger is the cover image; the cross and resurrection are the finished puzzle. Prophecy, John the Baptist, and Jesus’ own claims are the clues that lead us there. Faith means trusting the clues enough to keep building, even when the picture isn’t obvious. The result is whole and lasting life in him.

3. Love is measured in routines: Hampers matter, but so do a thousand unseen habits: listening well, forgiving quickly, sharing generously. We don’t control outcomes—sometimes love seems wasted or rejected. God meets us between offering and outcome and quietly multiplies what we bring. Keep showing up; love ripens on a longer timeline than our feelings.

4. Ask for peace, courage, and joy: Peace and joy aren’t moods we manufacture; they’re gifts we receive. The Spirit can retrain our reflexes so that fear doesn’t have the final say. Pray simply and often, especially when you feel empty. God delights to give what he commands.

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