Timothy R. Butler is Editor-in-Chief of Open for Business. He also serves as a pastor at Little Hills Church and FaithTree Christian Fellowship.
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A 12 Days of Christmas Journey Through the Joys of Jesus’s Life
As we give gifts small or large, simple or snazzy, this Christmas, this year’s devotional booklet invites us to reflect on the profound ways in which God gifts us to give the best sort of gifts to others. We will go on a twelve day journey through Galatians 5:22-26, exploring how the Holy Spirit transforms us to embody the essence of Christmas hope in the year ahead.
We’ve all wanted to write that resignation letter—to let the world know the hurt isn’t our fault. Joseph faces that exact urge in Matthew 1, betrayed and confused after he finds out Mary, the woman he is betrothed to, is pregnant — forced to choose between saying his peace and keeping it.
Pastor Tim spent time in Busiek State Forest to better think about the time between the Newborn servant coming into the world and when we, His followers, will get to experience His triumph.
Plans go awry all the time, and in the moment it feels terrible whether the fault is human weakness or God himself saying no to what we wanted. That's exactly where Mary finds herself in Luke 1 when Gabriel's greeting turns her ordinary day—and her entire future—upside down.
Pastor Tim thinks about how God brought light into existence, we turn from the light, but Christmas is the story of God bringing that light back to us.
Two truths come out of Jesus being a human being: one that reminds us of His understanding of our situation and one that reminds us our present state is not the destination.
We’ve all found ways to look faithful without being faithful—the outward gesture that signals piety while the heart is somewhere else entirely. That’s exactly the trap Isaiah 7 sets in plain sight: a king who quotes the law of God to refuse the sign God himself is offering, and whose very piety is the problem.
Pastor Tim thinks about how we look to the wrong things in life and how Christmas calls us to a corrective.
We’re so glad to have you in the neighborhood! We’re a little church right down the street from you and we want you to know we’re here for you. We have a unique service schedule with a Sunday evening in-person and lived streamed service every week at 5:30 p.m. We also have another live stream only sermon at 7 p.m. every Monday. We would love to have you join us for one or both!
We also have a prayer line at (833) 356-4032 that you can text into at any time. As you settle into the community, it is easy to feel isolated. Don’t hesitate to write in to your neighbors here and ask for prayer or if you have any questions we can help with. While we would love to meet you in person, we’re here even if you never set foot in our door!
We keep chasing what looks impressive—the king like everyone else's, the success the world promises—forgetting it all carries an expiration date, like a freshly cut tree that soon dries out and becomes trash. Samuel falls into the same trap sizing up Jesse's sons in 1 Samuel 16, until the Lord stops him cold: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
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