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!

Seeing Christ in the Songs of Christmas
One way we always know the Christmas season is here is by the songs on the radio. Around Thanksgiving, radio stations begin playing holiday tunes — some of them around the clock. Some Christmas songs just talk about presents and snow and Santa, but other carols have their origins in the Christian faith and speak boldly to the real reason for the season. In this series, we use Christmas songs as our backdrop to explore the wonderful, amazing and history-shaking birth of Christ — what it meant then and what it still means for us today.


