Crossroads Church

Year after year, our culture promises us happiness—especially at Christmas—and every time we’re left empty and disappointed when the gift has been opened or the experience is over. Yet the peace that God offers is resilient, patient, and able to endure the hardship and chaos of life.

It’s the holiday season, Christmas cheer is everywhere, and if we’re honest, it often feels like a giant conspiracy to bum us out. Impossible expectations, relentless schedules, and a shopping list that just won’t quit, to name a few. Yet in the midst of this chaos, God offers a different message: “Cheer up! I have come to bring you new hope.”

Few things can bring greater blessing than authority used well, and few things can cause greater pain than when it is used poorly. We’ve all experienced both—so how do we handle it? Today we will talk about how we mourn that pain and still submit to authority like Jesus.

“I want it my way.” It’s our default perspective on life, and it’s hardwired into our culture. Bosses, parents, the government—these authorities become an inconvenience at best. Yet God calls us to a different outlook. Today we’re going to talk about how God uses the earthly authorities in our lives to accomplish His plans for our lives.

“Authority.” For many of us, it’s a four letter word. We assume that any authority in our life exists to push us down and oppress us. But the truth about authority is the exact opposite. Today we’re going to talk about how God actually designed authority to be a benefit to us.

All of us wrestle with doubts about significance, meaning, and purpose for our lives; that voice that says, “If you weren’t here, would the world really be any different?” Today we’ll talk about the absurdity of generosity—how by engaging generously in what God is doing in the world, we can be confident that our life matters.

Every empire has ambition. Ambition to endure, to make itself great, to spread and conquer, and so on. Yet eventually, each empire eventually fades away and all its ambition comes to nothing. Today we will talk about how to leave a lasting legacy with our lives by building them on the eternal empire of Jesus.

Like ancient Rome, we live in a culture of violence and aggression. Our entertainment, sports, social media—even our political and news structures—are all built on a constant cycle of violence and destruction. The way you get ahead in cultures like these is to destroy those around you and those ahead of you. Yet the empire of God is entirely different—it is founded on the sacrifice of Jesus, a sacrifice that brings healing and restoration.

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all put our hope and security in something—a god, a job, our possessions, our achievements, political party, or a thousand other things. Put simply, everybody worships something. Yet history shows us that if we worship something other than God himself, it will inevitably disappoint us.

Ancient Rome (like the USA today) attracted people from across the globe, creating the potential for a “melting pot” of diversity, community and collaboration. Yet our human default is still to isolate ourselves, to be suspicious, and to separate ourselves from those who aren’t like us. But Jesus called his followers to be different—to cross boundaries, welcome strangers, and truly become a family that reflects all of his creation.