My husband reached over and held my hand. “We can go home. It’s up to you.” My heart raced in my chest as I looked up at the people pooling in through the open glass doors of our church. In that moment, my theology warred against my angst: My love for the local church versus my social anxiety.

Though Christmas is not about you, Christmas is undoubtedly for you.

In this excerpt from the recently released Gifts of Grace: 25 Advent Devotions, author Jared C. Wilson reminds Christians that their local church is a gift from God.

In this excerpt from the recently released Advent devotional The God Who is With Us, author Ronnie Martin reminds us that despite what our circumstances might tempt us to believe, God wants to clothe us with is love.

I feel like Scrooge stuck in the middle of carolers in Whoville wondering if it’s them or me who’s out of touch with reality.

He didn’t come when we were strong. While we were still misfits, Christ came to love us.

That first Christmas as a family was not what it was “supposed to be.” My body was supposed to nurse and nourish my newborn daughter, not receive needles, scalpels, and gauze.

For many people, the holiday season is when Paul’s conflicted statement about being “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” feels most pronounced.

When Christmas time reminds you of what you’ve lost, try to treasure in your heart the story of our Savior.

In this excerpt from A Light Has Dawned Meditations on Advent and Christmas (Best of Christianity Today) by Lexham Press, Elisabeth Elliot writes about the mysterious gift of the Incarnation of Christ.

Heather Morton helps us to see how significance comes from who we reflect, not how bright we shine our own light.

Brianna Lambert shows us the scope of the Christmas is much greater than just the events in Bethlehem.