One snowy December evening, three of the young adults from our congregation stopped over to visit . . . on a whim. Here is the beauty of a whim visit: it doesn’t leave time for me to consider whether I should clean the house, run to the grocery store, or even change the tablecloth. Whim Visits say, “I love you enough to have zero expectations. You don’t even have to let me in the house if you prefer.”

Today’s devotion focuses on the Epistle and comes from Concordia Commentary: Galatians.

Merry Christmas! Our devotion focuses on the Gospel of the day and comes from Meditations on the Gospels.

Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" followed the tradition of casting holiday-dreaders as Scrooge-like, sour-souled sad sacks who became downers and “buzz-kills” for every Cindy Lou and Tiny Tim with eager and innocent holiday aspirations.

But a quiet group of holiday-dreaders dwells quietly behind the scenes.  You may be one of them.  You try not to be noticed, but you wince as Thanksgiving and Christmas draw near. Your heart is not two sizes too small; your heart is broken.

Just in time for Christmas, here are three new margins for you to use in your Journal Bible and Christmas hymn coloring pages. Enjoy!

Many of us have put up our Christmas tree by this point in the Advent season. We’ve wrestled it from the woods or our basements, matched color-coded branches or poured water in the stand, strung up the lights, and added a touch of festive to the mediocre green and brown.

Christmas at our house is always a much-anticipated event. We put our tree up a little earlier than is socially acceptable, and we rock out to various carols and songs in our house and our car, at church, and while baking. We love Christmas, and while I’m always a fan of the word simplify, I’m also a fan of making things a big deal that are a big deal, and Jesus’ birth—it’s a big deal.

Prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ with these Christmas midnight prayers.