It's CHRISTmas time!  In the Christian calendar we call this the season of Advent.  We who practice the celebration of Advent, do so because we are looking forward to something... according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

The Celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.  

The journey to CHRISTmas is about knowing with clarity that God is with us in every moment.   Through our pain. God is with us.  He is with us in the waiting. God's being ever present gives us courage when we feel anxious and the storm swells.

In this Fourth Sunday of Advent , we light the candle of Joy.  It's a simple message as we look at the scriptures that speak to this amazing truth: the Incarnation.  All that we believe hangs on this truth...God with Us.    

The Hope of CHRISTmas is made real when we look at how those around us enter into a deeper faith.  One person, young Tyler Trent, from Purdue, who is struggling with terminal cancer offers his testimony: God is with Us.  

Tyler's story video HERE