The process of tending to the soil of one’s heart, being conformed to the Christian faith, and being brought into eternal life begins and ends with the continual hearing of God’s Word, the seed of the Sower.

So much of what our celebrations have become today are wrapped in the world’s story of Christmas. And no, this isn’t an attack on “Yuletide carols, mistletoe, or tiny tots with their eyes all aglow.” Instead, it reminds us that the child, born of Mary and lying in a manger, came into this world for a real, transcending, and transformational purpose.

Fear is a real darkness we all struggle with.

However, the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary this night is also for you: “Do not be afraid.”

The reality is that Jesus does not fit their mold of what the Savior would look like; he does not come as they had imagined. The truth is, He does not come as you desire Him to either; He does not appear as you wish, and His Words are met with the deafness of heart.