We all lose things, but you may find it hard to name your loss while the emotion is raw.

What happens when a group loses something collectively?

When I picked this Advent book, I didn’t look close to see there was a 5th week covered in it. But there was a week for Christmas, and what a great way to celebrate and draw close to God as we rejoice in Christ’s birth! The chapter is titled Sharing the Light: Where is the One? I immediately thought about how we are called to share Christ in the world, the one about whom we are rejoicing, but then the question part of the title made me ponder what that might have to do with our rejoicing.

A we ring in the new year, all around us conversations are occurring about resolutions and goals for the year. I have been seeing posts on Facebook this last week about reading a book each month, and so many people talk about weight loss or health goals, then go buy gym memberships, and by the end of January they have stopped going.

We light the final candle of the four weeks of Advent: Love. I often find myself looking around the world and thinking hate is everywhere and people can be so mean, but then something reminds me in little ways of the unfailing love God has for us and I am grateful.

So, what might we see in the message in the chapter today?