Southern Reverend Southern Reverend

1 Corinthians 13 isn't usually a passage for Advent or Christmas, but it's more relevant to the birth of Christ than you might think. Y'all have a blessed and merry Christmas!!

Luke's gospel tells us that shepherds were sent to visit Jesus the night he was born, but why is this significant? What does this tell us about the nature of this New King & His coming Kingdom? Why does it give anything to rejoice about today? Listen to find out.

When the Wise Men visit Jesus, they bring Jesus all of the same things that He wants from us: our treasure, our worship, and our mourning. In exchange for all that we bring, Jesus gives us peace. This is the second in a series through Advent, called Heaven Came Down. Read more of my reflections by going to https://www.southernreverend.com/journal

Luke 1:68-79. Advent is a season that invites us to pause and wait on the arrival of God in the child Jesus. It is a time to reflect on what God has done and to hope in what God will continue to do. In this episode, we take a few minutes to explore what that might mean for us, wherever we are and whatever we are going through.

The song at the end of this episode is "Hope," by my good friend Jeffrey Box from his album, "Liturgy." Check him out after you're through listening.

Acts 3:12-19

Peter's speech to those gathered around to see the aftermath of a miracle tells us a lot about what it means to really be a witness. He recalls history, he appeals to people's identity, and he brings to bear his own past as a man ignorant of God's purposes through Christ--all for the sake of giving people good news.

If it seems like Peter's speech is harsh--well, it is. Sometimes the truth is not an easy pill to swallow. But Peter doesn't end his speech on a message of condemnation. Peter ends it on hope.

With Jesus, there is always hope.

Acts 4:32-35

The early church in the Book of Acts was a strange new thing: a community oriented to the needs of others, who were kind and generous to those on the edges of society, a group of people united not by their ethnicity or their politics, but by their common belief in a risen Christ and grace that pours out from it.

What is it about this resurrected Jesus that causes people to behave in this way? And what implications does it have for those of us now, who are citizens of His kingdom?

In this episode, we'll walk through it.