Today’s Episode

Our expectations of Christmas can feel like they come from a Hallmark movie, which doesn’t do us a lot of favors (as much as we love them). The cultural ideal that we’ll be fulfilled and content at Christmas, that everything will fall into place, acts as a magnifying glass to the unmet expectations that we hold all year round. 

Through the lives of Elizabeth and Mary, we get a bit of a cultural reset when it comes to our Christmas ideals. What’s so helpful about Mary and Elizabeth’s story is the realistic Christmas it portrays—one full of God’s promises being fulfilled in the midst of difficult seasons. By returning to this Scripture, we can sift through the romantic version of a cultural Christmas and see something truthful. A Christmas that celebrates God’s promises coming to fruition in the midst of a dark and waiting world in the person of Jesus. 

Looking for a great way to start the New Year? Sign up here for the Encountering God Online Bible study, starting January 13, 2022.

Or, to order the Encountering God Bible study, click here.

Scripture References

Luke 1: 6-7, 12-14, 24-25, 30-33, 36-38, 39-45, 46-50, 76-77

Main Points

1. As you celebrate the global gift of Jesus this Christmas, don’t forget to celebrate what He’s done for you.
2. Don’t let comparison thinking steal your joy this Christmas.
3. Don’t mistake the Christmas ideal for the Savior.

How do we Cultivate this in our Lives?

• Celebrate Christmas by remembering what Jesus has done for you and how the good news of Christ has ministered to you. 
• Make a point to not let comparison thinking steal your joy. Go back to Elizabeth blessing Mary in Luke 1:39-45 and turn your focus outward. 
• Don’t get the cultural ideal of Christmas confused with the real story of redemption in Jesus. 

Stuff We Think You’ll Like

• Looking for a Bible study in the New Year? Sign up here for the Encountering God Online Bible study, starting January 13, 2022. 
• To order the Encountering God Bible study, click here.
• Dive deeper into The Word with one of Kelly’s many Bible Studies
• Opening Music to the Cultivate Podcast is Time For Singing from her project Hymns & Hallelujahs
• Sign up for Kelly’s newsletter at Kellyminter.com
• Connect with Kelly on Instagram and Facebook 
• Check out Kelly’s work with Justice & Mercy International in the Amazon and in Moldova

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