The true gift of Christmas is that Jesus came to meet your deepest needs. Hope. Peace. Joy. Love. We all long for an abundant life full of these good things, but so often our actual experience feels more desperate and divisive. The promise of Christmas―of baby Jesus born on a silent night, away in a manger―seems too innocent to meet the real needs of our world. But the truth is that Jesus's life provides the answers to our deepest longings. By pairing Old Testament stories of fundamental human needs with gospel moments of Jesus meeting people where they were, the promise of Christmas becomes tangible: • Adam's and Eve's failure meets the hope of Emmanuel, "God with Us" • Job's devastating loss meets the joy of Elizabeth's long-awaited pregnancy • Jacob and Esau's conflict meets the peace Jesus delivered to a possessed man • Hagar's rejection meets the love Jesus showed to the woman who washed His feet • And many more biblical stories Four weeks of devotions lead you through the four key themes of Advent. On the first day of each week, you'll consider your own need for hope, peace, joy, and love. The next five days of each week depict the needs of Old Testament characters and then show how Jesus supplied the answer to those needs in His time on earth. The last day of each week unwraps how Jesus will eternally fulfill each need when He comes to earth again. This book is an ideal companion for individuals, families, or small groups celebrating Advent. See how Jesus meets the needs of humanity throughout the biblical story and discover the true hope of Christmas. JR Hudberg is senior director of Bible engagement at Our Daily Bread Ministries. He is the author of Encounters with Jesus and Journey Through Amos and earned his MTS and ThM from Calvin Theological Seminary. JR and his wife and their two sons live in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.
