Central to God’s character is that he loves. 1 John 4:8 famously says that “he that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.” However, when we say that God loves, we are not saying that anything called love is a godly thing. What we mean—because it is what the Bible communicates—is that God is the one who defines what love is.

January 6 marks the end of the Christmas season. It is the last of the 12 days of Christmas and places us firmly in the new year. As we turn our thoughts away from Advent and toward our responsibilities for 2026, let me ask you this question. What if Jesus had never been born? Have you ever pondered that thought? If not, it is probably because at Christmas we just presume upon His birth. We celebrate it, as we certainly should. It is the birth most worth celebrating.

The celebration of New Year’s has a surprisingly complex history. Some cultures have celebrated the beginning of the year in the spring, since it is the season of new growth and life. Other cultures observed New Year’s closer to the winter solstice, when the days began to lengthen after the shortest day of the year. In Exodus 12:1-2, God decreed that Israel’s new year would begin in the month He delivered them from Egypt.

When Joseph and Mary obeyed the Law by taking Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, they were divinely directed to meet two people. Simeon was one; you can read more about him here.

Juxtaposed with the Christmas spirit is the reality that many people experience grief, or the memory of grief, more keenly at Christmas than at other times. Additionally, each Advent season there are people who get bad news, or experience a tragedy, or suffer an unexpected hardship, or are forced to endure an existing one. For many people, an idealistic Christmas spirit is unrealistic.

It is true that every generation has its own unique struggles and difficulties; not one has escaped hardship.