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Written by Rev. Dr. Jack Baca, Senior Pastor of The Village Church.

One of my favorite Christmas carols includes a line that is perhaps one of the most outrageously ambitious and even preposterous statements I’ve ever seen or was ever written. And I believe it is true. The carol is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Both the text and tune were written in 1868, not long after the American Civil War had ended. The text was penned by Phillips Brooks, a famous preacher of the time, who now is known more for his little poem-turned-carol than for any of his sermons. (Hmmm…I’ll have to ponder that fact for a while!) He wrote it in December for use by the Sunday School kids of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. It was aimed at children and does a great job of incorporating both simple images of Christmas like stars, angels, and a quaint little town, along with astounding affirmations of deep truth. I’ll let you ruminate on the “deep and dreamless sleep” parts, but please don’t miss the last line of the first stanza: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Really? How could that be? How could the hopes of the whole human race of past, present, and future, be addressed in one child? How could the fears of that same race be comprehended and answered in the boy born to Mary? How could a kid with a common name like “Jesus” be the solution for even just one person…for just me…or just you? But he is. Not “was” or “will be” but “is.” None of us fully understand what we confess to believe, but still we believe it. Beyond our understanding, there lies our faith, faith that itself is born of the gift of the Spirit. I believe in Jesus. I believe Jesus. I believe what my preacher colleague from the past so daringly and beautifully wrote, that in Jesus, the Christ, we meet the Divine Response to the world’s hopes and fears. Maybe that is why I can never sing those words without tears forming in my eyes.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

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Today’s devotion is from the Transforming Mission website, launched by contemporary pastor Tim Bias and Sara Thomas, a regional missional specialist.

Being a follower of Jesus is more than a private belief—it’s a mission.  God’s mission began with sending Jesus into the world in love. Now, as Jesus’ followers, we are sent—filled with that same love—to care for our neighbors, serve those in need, and yes, even love our enemies. This isn’t a church program or a personal initiative. It’s God’s mission, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live it out every day. Being sent means reflecting God’s love through small acts of care and kindness—at work, at home, in your community, even in difficult spaces. It’s letting your life speak so that others are drawn to the source of your joy, peace, and compassion. Today, ask yourself: Who around me needs to experience God’s love? How can I make that visible through my words, actions, and presence?

Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. [John 20:21-22]

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Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry.

True mercy reflects the heart of God. And if justice were our standard, none of us would see salvation. We pray for mercy because we need it—and in praying for it, we learn to show it. When we live as the meek, we acknowledge to others that we are sinners. When we live as the merciful, we extend compassion because we recognize that others are, too. The Bible doesn’t paint a sentimental picture of humanity. It tells the truth about the human condition. We are not basically good people who occasionally mess up—we are deeply flawed, and our sin has alienated us from God and from one another. But here is the wonder of the gospel: God Himself provides the solution. He underwrites the cost of our redemption. He makes a way for us to be restored. And having received that grace, we are called to show the same mercy to others.

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [Psalm 103:8]

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Written by Debbie McDaniel, a contemporary writer.

Dear God, thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives. Thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us when we don’t thank you enough for who you are, for all you do, and for all you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you, and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. [1 Chronicles 16:34]

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Written by Dietrich Bonhoffer (1906-1945), a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and Nazi dissident., This is an excerpt from his book “Life Together.”

We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep because the last word also belongs to God.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.  [Luke 6:12]

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Written by Richard Foster, a contemporary theologian and author.

Like the recurring stitch pattern in a quilt, so prayer threads its way throughout Jesus’ life. We need that same thread of prayer to re-integrate the fragmented parts of our lives and bring us into the wholeness God offers.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 5:23]

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Written by Grace Pouch, a contemporary writer and teacher of spiritual renewal.

In the second and third century, Christians adopted a new metaphor for the Church—the Boat. Boats had long been associated with salvation in the minds of God’s people (think of Noah’s ark and Moses’s basket). In the Gospels, Jesus turns the boat into an intimate classroom where his disciples witness miracles, learn to obey him, and face his question: Why are you afraid? As a symbol, the Boat carries these Biblical stories of faith, doubt, desperation, and deliverance. It’s no wonder that early Christians—whose communities were rocked by persecution, political upheaval, and doctrinal disputes—identified with the sinking apostles who cried, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). The Boat image both validated their struggle and affirmed Christ’s presence with them in the storm and his power over it. We need this symbol more than ever. Every generation has to wrestle with the “not yet” of God’s final deliverance, but the storms right now feel especially fierce. Historically, there have been periodic groundswells of an anti-Christ spirit in the world. Coldhearted people, high on their own power, churn up tidal waves of cruelty. An unholy thirst for greatness drives people to fabricate false gospels of salvation. (I’m thinking of Marc Andreessen’s claim that “AI Will Save the World” and Bryan Johnson’s perverse initiative, Don’t Die). Every day brings a new wave of suffering—to us, or to others whom we feel powerless to help. I confess, what I want right now is for Jesus to calm the storm. And I pray for this. But I also pray that Jesus will show me—show all of us—how to stay together, pull together, and grow our “little faith” into a more mature dependence upon him. Calm but not complacent. Assured of his ultimate victory, but also engaged with God on earth here and now. 

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. [Mark 4:37]

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Written by Adrian Patenaude, a contemporary writer, editor, and poet.  This is an excerpt from the book “A Beautiful Year in the Bible.”

God not only opens a path forward through divine grace but also brings restoration to every part of our lives. What we perceive as weaknesses or dead ends—whether it’s a career setback, a strained relationship, or a personal struggle—God can transform into strengths and possibilities. The opposing force to grace is the expectation of perfection. We strive for a standard we an never achieve on our own and feel overcome by shame when we fall short. But God doesn’t write us off for mistakes and is infinitely patient with us in the process of restoration and redemption. No one is too far gone or too small to be part of God’s divine plan, which manifests its wonders through even the most unexpected sources. If we think of God as a bridge builder, then God’s grace is the bridge itself—sturdy and reliable, spanning the gap over the vast and seemingly uncrossable ravines in our lives. With God’s grace as our bridge, no obstacle is too great, and there is always a way forward…God’s grace not only builds bridges but also rebuilds. Grace is more than a mere second chance; it is a lifelong restorative process, turning every challenge into a testimony of faith and every individual story into a chapter of a grander narrative of salvation.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:16]

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Written by Sunshyne Gray, a contemporary writer.

Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood topics out there. It  is something we all face, whether in small daily frustrations or in deep, life-shaking wounds. We live in a broken world, and none of us are perfect, so the need for forgiveness is constant. Sometimes it’s about letting go of a quick comment or a bad attitude; other times, it’s about healing from the kind of hurt that knocks the wind out of you. No matter the size of the offense, the truth about forgiveness doesn’t change…A lot of people assume that forgiving someone means you have to instantly reconcile, forget what happened, or fully trust the person again. But that’s just not true. You can forgive someone and still feel hurt. You can forgive and still choose not to trust—or even not to reconcile at all. So, what is forgiveness, really? Simply put, forgiveness is releasing someone from your punishment and entrusting the offense to God.  That moment of surrender can happen in an instant, but often, it’s something we have to keep doing—moment by moment …… Forgiveness is a choice—an action we choose.  It is not a feeling or instant healing or pain relief…Forgiveness and healing are not the same. Forgiveness is a choice to release the offender from our punishment and entrust it to God. It happens in a single moment. Healing is a journey that takes time and intention. Keep in mind though, forgiveness is the first step that kicks off the journey to healing. It is the foundation that must be in place before healing can begin.

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God, in Christ forgave you. [Ephesians 4:32]

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer, scholar, and Anglican lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “The Problem of Pain.”

When Christianity says that God loves man, it means that God loves man: not that He has some ‘disinterested’ … concern for our welfare, but that, in awful and surprising truth, we are the objects of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the ‘lord of terrible aspect’, is present: not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist’s love for his work and despotic as a man’s love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father’s love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes. How this should be, I do not know: it passes reason to explain why any creatures, not to say creatures such as we, should have a value so prodigious in their Creator’s eyes. It is certainly a burden of glory not only beyond our deserts but also, except in rare moments of grace, beyond our desiring…Man does not exist for his own sake. ‘Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’ We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest ‘well pleased’. To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God: because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labor to make us lovable… What we would here and now call our ‘happiness’ is not the end God chiefly has in view, but when we are such as He can love without impediment, we shall in fact be happy.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [1 John 4:16]

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