When you think of “sinners” who might be excluded from God’s kingdom, does anyone come to mind? If so, you may be entering dangerous territory. The Pharisees were certain of their own seat at God’s table, convinced that the tax collectors and prostitutes had no such place. But Jesus came precisely for the people the religious crowd wrote off. He welcomes the broken, the fallen, the forgotten with open arms the moment they repent and turn to Him. God’s grace reaches farther than our judgments, and we may be surprised by those who are on heaven’s guest list!

Christmas Past, Present and Future
All of us, to one degree or another, deal with three main areas of life. We battle with the shame of things we did in our past; we struggle to understand why certain things are happening to us in the present; and we often experience fear of the unknown about our future. The real Christmas story is about a Savior who came to give us forgiveness from our past, peace in the present, and hope for our future!


