This season doesn’t need perfect plans—it needs a heart ready to make room for Jesus. Let this prayer help you slow down and invite Him in.

Navigating a Christmas season filled with sorrow and disappointment can be challenging, but embracing hope and finding new ways to celebrate can illuminate the path forward. Discover how to lean into faith, find comfort in God's presence, and believe in greater things even when the holidays don't feel merry.

Each Christmas, families engage in the holidays, instilling their own family traditions. Traditions can make the holidays enriching and rewarding for all involved. But as family dynamics change, traditions can become stale or disappear altogether. Preserve the traditions you have while still starting new ones this year. Here are five traditions to incorporate into your Christmas holiday:Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ Estradaanton

Advent is the four-week period prior to Christmas when we anticipate the culmination of God’s promise to send a Savior to the world. Each week follows a theme: first hope, then peace, joy, and finally, love. Prayerfully read and reflect on these daily Bible verses to engage in Advent discussions with your family.Week 1 Hope — Mighty God Always Keeps His WordMonday“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, emphasis added).When God kept His promise by sending Jesus to live in the world with people, what did He communicate about His thoughts toward us? When Jesus died on the cross and came back to life on the third day, what did He show you about His ability to keep every promise He’s made? Make a list of God’s promises to remind you He is Mighty God.Tuesday“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).An inheritance usually passes from a parent to a child. What traits did you inherit from your parents? What is the inheritance you receive when you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord? What makes this inheritance so special? How does remembering your home in heaven sustain you in difficult times?Wednesday“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (Hebrews 6:18-19).Has anyone ever lied to you? How did you feel when you discovered the truth? When you realize God can never lie because it’s contrary to His nature, how do you respond? How does hope anchor us in an ever-changing world?Thursday“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23).Can you think of a time when you doubted God could keep His promise? What caused the doubts? What would be a good way to remind yourself God can be trusted to keep every promise? Take time to thank God for promises He’s kept and ask Him to help you believe everything He says.Friday“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).How does knowing God has good plans for you give you hope? What is prayer and how does it strengthen your hope? How can you follow through on a commitment to talk to God every day? What is a special promise God makes to you in this verse? What are some ways you can look for God?Photo credit: ©Getty Images/bzzup

Every Christmas, churches around the world celebrate the incarnation of the Son using titles taken from Isaiah 9:6: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” But why should the birth of a son be celebrated with the title “Everlasting Father,” and why does this Son bear this title? While no one assumes confusion between the first and second persons of the Trinity, the answers often given provide little clarity. Some take the expression “Everlasting Father” to mean something akin to “the father of time.” Accordingly, much like Micah 5:2, “Everlasting Father” would then describe the Son’s eternality. While this is certainly a truth of orthodox Christianity, it doesn’t appear to be the main point of the title. Most commentators rightly examine the context and argue the title “Father” is related to kingship in the ancient Near East (ANE), given the other titles and the kingship themes in the chapter. Still, these explanations are often expressed with a degree of uncertainty as to how this title, in connection with ANE kingship, should be understood in more concrete terms. Some have connected the title to one used by ANE kings to describe the king as the “father” of his people. Others simply affirm that kingship is in view while acknowledging the difficulty and ambiguity. Based on the passage’s immediate context and the ANE background, I believe that “Everlasting Father” deliberately evokes covenantal kingship language from the ANE. In doing so, the announcement of the Son’s birth declares he’s the King of kings and his kingdom has no end. Broader Context In Isaiah 7:1–9, Rezin (king of Syria) and Pekah (king of Israel) joined forces against Ahaz (king of Judah). The purpose of this attack was to set a ruler of their choosing over Judah. The prospect of fighting two kings was terrifying to Ahaz, but the prophet Isaiah emphasized the importance of trusting in the Lord despite the threat (vv. 4–9). To bolster the king’s faith, God invites Ahaz to request a sign “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (vv. 10–11). When Ahaz refuses, Isaiah rebukes him, and the prophet announces the sign: A virgin will conceive and bear a son whose name will be called “Immanuel” (vv. 12–14). While Ahaz is told that Rezin and Pekah will soon no longer be a threat (vv. 15–16), he’s also warned of the devastation that Assyria will bring on Judah (vv. 17–25). ‘Everlasting Father’ is deliberately evoking covenantal kingship language from the ancient Near East. Isaiah 8:1–4 returns to the theme of children and the downfall of Syria and Israel before describing the Assyrian threat (vv. 5–15). The chapter concludes with an expression of Isaiah’s trust in YHWH and with Isaiah’s children as signs that stand in stark contrast to Ahaz’s lack of trust (vv. 16–22). As seen in 2 Kings 16, Ahaz fails to trust the Lord. Instead, he appeals to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, declaring him to be master and father—a suzerain king over Judah and over himself. A suzerain was a king of one nation that had some measure of control and authority over another king and his kingdom. This meant Ahaz was ceding authority over his kingdom to the foreign power of Assyria. Rather than trusting in YHWH, Ahaz trusted in princes. It’s important, therefore, to consider the nature of the covenant Ahaz made with Tiglath-pileser. Ancient Near Eastern Covenants Covenants in their broader historical and cultural context intersect with treaties, laws, and royal grants, and often involve rituals, oaths, and other aspects of ANE society. In the broadest terms, covenants may be divided into those between parties of equal status and those hierarchical in nature. Parity treaties are well attested in the ANE. Unlike treaties between parties of unequal status, parity treaties refer to the parties as “brothers.” Old Testament examples include the covenants between Jonathan and David (1 Sam. 20) and Hiram and Solomon (1 Kings 5). Hierarchical treaties, by contrast, use terms such as “father and son” or “master and slave” to formalize the superiority of one king over another. The most relevant example is the treaty between Ahaz and Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 16:5–9). This passage is significant. When Ahaz says “your servant and your son” (v. 7) to refer to himself, he’s declaring fealty to Tiglath-pileser and recognizing him as master and father. This declaration is further underscored by the tribute Ahaz offers, alongside his plea for deliverance from Syria and Israel. The historical situation in 2 Kings 16 lies in the background of Isaiah 7, which in turn sets the context for the declaration of Isaiah 9. The point is that Ahaz placed his trust in the wrong covenantal father. Isaiah 9 returns to the theme of kingship and the birth of a child. By calling the son in verse 6 “Everlasting Father,” the prophet deliberately evokes ANE covenantal language in which greater kings are called “father” over lesser kings. The point is that Ahaz placed his trust in the wrong covenantal father. While Tiglath-pileser’s kingdom would rise and fall, the Son’s kingdom will have no end. So, this Christmas, when you sing that Jesus, the Son, is “Everlasting Father,” remember that his kingdom has no end. The title challenges you to ask, Where will you place your trust? Will you declare fealty to the princes of this world, or will you hope in the Son alone?

Martin Luther reached the peak of his evangelical trajectory with his 1525 book On the Bondage of the Will. That’s where he made his strongest case for justification by grace through faith. The book didn’t come from nowhere; it was a response to Desiderius Erasmus’s criticisms in On the Freedom of the Will. Now, it was Luther’s turn to argue for God’s sovereignty in salvation. Luther’s view of reality wasn’t fatalistic. Humans aren’t mere puppets. Rather, he acknowledged that while humans were created free to choose good or evil, Adam’s iniquity was passed on to his descendants in the form of original sin and the sinful nature. Human beings are now born spiritually dead and must be resurrected by the Holy Spirit. On their own, they can do nothing that counts as righteousness before God. Erasmus objected to this view of humanity. His call for a Christian reformation of behavior was rooted in a more optimistic understanding of human nature after the fall. Yes, grace was necessary for salvation, but it was still up to the individual to cooperate with grace. In his long and bombastic response, Luther countered that salvation is entirely of grace, from beginning to end. The resulting argument is both entertaining and enlightening. Bound Will, Freed Sinner Luther’s chief Reformation insight was the distinction between law and gospel, or that which we must do and that which has been done for us. According to Luther, Erasmus’s vision of Christianity was an endless slavery to the law rather than the freedom of the gospel. Erasmus had claimed that the existence of divine commands in Scripture implied humanity’s ability to fulfill them, but Luther asserted the purpose of God’s law was to reveal our inability to fulfill it and to point us to salvation in Christ alone. Luther wrote, “It is nothing but law, law at its peak, when [Christ] says, ‘Return to me,’ and it is grace when he says, ‘I will return to you’” (196–97). Acknowledging the bondage of the will means standing before God as a beggar with empty hands, receiving everything necessary for salvation as a gracious gift. This overt dependence on grace isn’t just one way to receive salvation. According to Luther, absolute dependence on God’s grace is essential: For as long as [a man] is persuaded that he himself can do even the least thing toward his salvation, he retains some self-confidence and does not altogether despair of himself, and therefore he is not humbled before God, but presumes that there is—or at least hopes or desires that there may be—some place, time, and work for him, by which he may at length attain to salvation. (137) We can never receive as a gift a salvation we think we might at some point be able to earn. Clarity of Scripture Yet salvation by grace alone wasn’t the only doctrine at stake in this debate. The two men also butted heads over the clarity of Scripture. Erasmus argued Scripture is so unclear about the issue of free will that the preacher should avoid discussing it for fear of causing social unrest. Luther realized this called into question the nature of God’s Word. We can never receive as a gift a salvation we think we might at some point be able to earn. “The Holy Spirit is no Skeptic, and it is not doubts or mere opinions that he has written on our hearts, but assertions more sure and certain than life itself and all experience,” Luther argued (109). Erasmus was, in Luther’s view, contradicting the spirit of Christianity by avoiding plain statements about such an important teaching. “For it is not the mark of a Christian mind to take no delight in assertions,” argued Luther. “On the contrary, a man must delight in assertions or he will be no Christian” (105). Luther differentiated between two types of clarity in Scripture: the basic, external meaning of the text, and the internal comprehension of its spiritual principles. Therefore, he observed, If you speak of the internal clarity, no man perceives one iota of what is in the Scriptures unless he has the Spirit of God. . . . If, on the other hand, you speak of the external clarity, nothing at all is left obscure or ambiguous, but everything there is in the Scriptures has been brought out by the Word into the most definite light, and published to all the world. (112) Thus, the bondage of the will touches on the fundamental need of every Christian to know he or she is loved by God, is justified before him, and will dwell with him eternally. This is no obscure debate for scholars but a theological topic at the heart of the spiritual life of ordinary Christians. Reformation’s Hinge Point Though On the Bondage of the Will is often remembered for its colorful insults, Luther also paid Erasmus a compliment, acknowledging he’d put his finger on the central issue of the Reformation: the fully gracious nature of our salvation, accomplished by Christ alone. “You and you alone have seen the question on which everything hinges, and have aimed at the vital spot,” he wrote (333). The bondage of the will touches on the fundamental need of every Christian to know he or she is loved by God, is justified before him, and will dwell with him eternally. Luther’s book had a major ripple effect on Reformation theology. It helped to define the Lutheran movement throughout the 16th century and remains a favorite historic text among Reformed Christians. It also had an immediate practical effect, pushing away some members of Erasmus’s scholarly group and reasserting justification by grace alone through faith alone as the Reformation’s central tenet. On the Bondage of the Will is an academic text full of classical allusions. It’s best approached with a good critical edition. For readers nervous about the scholastic argumentation or the book’s sheer length, take the advice of Luther scholar James Nestingen: Begin with the final portion, in which Luther makes the biblical case for his position, then dive into the opening sections where he critiques Erasmus’s argument and methodology. The translation by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston is beloved for its dynamic language. For those who have the time, Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation from The Library of Christian Classics is a solid translation of both books in one volume. Luther’s response to Erasmus exposes the real fault line of the Reformation. It wasn’t indulgences, papal power, or clerical marriage but whether sinners are merely dirty people who need washing or spiritually dead people who need resurrecting. Luther’s paradox is stunning: Our inability is the key to God’s grace. To be bound to God in love isn’t a burden but the believer’s only assurance of salvation. That’s why On the Bondage of the Will remains as vital now as it was five centuries ago.

Loving Jesus means loving our neighbors as well. But our culture is increasingly post-Christian, post-church, and post-reached. Our neighbors feel further away than they’ve ever been. So what shifts are needed to speak Jesus in this culture? In this talk from TGC25, followed by a Q&A, Sam Chan teaches how to speak about Jesus more effectively. In This Episode 0:00 – Introduction and personal background 2:11 – Challenges in evangelism today 4:01 – Concept of plausibility structures 8:54 – Merging universes of friends 15:10 – Disciple-making evangelism vs. event-based evangelism 15:32 – The power of conversation in evangelism 24:01 – Becoming an unofficial, de facto chaplain 30:53 – Role of wisdom and calm presence 34:18 – Resources and final thoughts Resources Mentioned:  How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News About Jesus More Believable by Sam Chan The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham The Missing Peace: How Christmas Brings the Calm We Crave by Sam Chan 321: online resources from Glen Scrivener SIGN UP for one of our newsletters to stay informed about TGC’s latest resources. Help The Gospel Coalition renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel: Give today. Don’t miss an episode of The Gospel Coalition Podcast: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

Jasmine Crockett Says She’ll Impose ‘Ethics Guidelines’ on Supreme Court Justices If Elected Senator

The fingerprint of one of seafarers who built the oldest known wooden plank boat in Scandinavia has been discovered in the tar used to waterproof it. A new study of caulking and cordage fragments revealed the presence of the fingerprint and provided new evidence on the boat’s possible origins and the techniques used to make it. First discovered by peat diggers in the Hjortspring bog on the island of Als off Jutland, Denmark, in the 1880s, it was fully excavated in 1921 and 1922. About 40% of the boat was recovered, enough to allow a full reconstruction of its form. The boat was about 20 meters (66 feet) long, weighed 530 kilos (1,170 pounds), and could carry 24 people plus gear. It was built from lime wood planks sewn together with cordage. A large number of spearpoints and shields were deposited in the bog with it, enough to outfit about 80 warriors. Archaeologists believe raiders in up to four similar-sized boats attacked Als but were defeated. The islanders then deposited the boat and the raiders’ weapons in the bog as offerings. The remains of the boat were conserved, stabilized and put on display in the National Museum of Denmark since 1937. Because they were treated with alum at first and then later with PEG, the wood could no longer be radiocarbon dated, but a new excavation of the find site in 1987 found additional wood fragments that could be C-14 dated. The results date the boat to the 4th or 3rd century B.C. The recent study analyzed parts of the boat — fragments of caulking and cordage — that were collected in the original 1920s excavation, but had never been subjected to chemical preservation treatments. Modern technical analysis found the cordage is made from lime bast with long spin strands that would have kept the lashes pliable during construction of the boat and in later repairs. Taken together, the results of our analysis of the Hjortspring cordage illustrate the skill and sophistication of ancient Scandinavian boatbuilding techniques. It is clear that the cordage found in the boat was made by highly skilled craftspeople who were well versed in what must have been a long-standing boat building tradition. Due to the fact that the cordage fragments were untarred, it is possible they were kept on the boat for potential repairs. Such cordage could have been spliced into existing lines in the manner identified in our experimental trials. It is likely that both caulking material and cordage were kept on the ship in order to conduct repairs while at sea. The caulking materials contained the imprints of cordage, knots and plank seams as well as the partial fingerprint. They were subjected to gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) which revealed the caulking was likely composed of a coniferous tar, probably pine, and far. “The boat was waterproofed with pine pitch, which was surprising. This suggests the boat was built somewhere with abundant pine forests,” says Mikael Fauvelle. Several scholars had previously suggested that the boat and its crew came from the region around modern-day Hamburg in Germany. Instead, the researchers now believe they came from the Baltic Sea region. “If the boat came from the pine forest-rich coastal regions of the Baltic Sea, it means that the warriors who attacked the island of Als chose to launch a maritime raid over hundreds of kilometers of open sea,” says Mikael Fauvelle. The print was likely left during repairs to the boat by a crew member. Researchers hope to extract ancient DNA from the caulking pitch to find out more about the seafarers who manned this vessel 2,300 years ago.