This week we saw that serving is at the heart of following Jesus. We were confronted with how easily comfort, busyness, or fear can keep us from stepping into a life of service to Jesus. God has entrusted every one of us with time to give, talent to use, and treasure to invest for His purposes. Serving isn’t about doing everything, but faithfully doing something with what God has placed in our hands. The invitation is to stop holding back and begin stewarding our lives in a way that reflects Jesus, builds His body, and expands His Kingdom across the street and around the world. 

This week we talked about how disciples are forged in community and why following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey. The second pillar in our discipleship flywheel at New Life is: group. From the beginning God said it is not good for man to be alone, demonstrating that community and relationships are an essential part of His design for us. Scripture reminds us that iron sharpens iron and that growth happens as we live out the “one another” commands. The early church gathered, grouped, served and sent in ways that shaped them and the world around them. As a group, reflect on where you are choosing isolation versus community and how God might be inviting you to deeper connection and mutual formation.

The miracle of peace is that God stepped into our world to drive fear out of our hearts with His presence. In Luke 2:1–14, the angels announce peace to terrified shepherds, reminding us that God meets ordinary, anxious people with extraordinary grace. Because Jesus has come near, we don’t have to be ruled by what makes us afraid and we don’t have to be overwhelmed by what we can’t control. God’s presence gives courage, and God’s power brings a peace the world can’t manufacture. Christmas reminds us that peace isn’t the absence of trouble, it’s the presence of Jesus in the middle of it. As we receive the Savior, we’re invited to walk in that same peace.

The most important question any of us will ever answer is: who is Jesus Christ? The Christmas miracle of the Savior is that Jesus is eternally God who has always existed and through whom everything was made. His close friend and disciple, John, tells us that Jesus enters our world as light and life, bringing hope into places that feel dark and empty. Even though many people overlook and reject Him, His light brings healing and life to those who trust in Him. In becoming human, Jesus shows us exactly what God is like, offering grace and truth that welcomes and restores us. The Christmas miracle of the Savior wasn’t a baby in a manger, but God in a manger. 

God’s Word has always been the one thing that changes everything, and we see that all through the Christmas story. When the angel speaks to Mary in Luke 1, her entire future is reshaped by a single message from God. In Luke 2, that same good news reaches shepherds and shows us that the arrival of the Messiah is meant for ordinary, overlooked people. Hebrews 1 pulls it all together by showing that God’s ultimate Word is not just a message but a person, Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory. The miracle of the Messiah is that God still speaks, He still comes near, and His good news is still for everyone who is willing to receive it.