Anticipating Christmas, Part 2: An Unexpected Guest // Andy Stanley

No one was looking for God to appear in person, yet Jesus came to make the invisible God unmistakably known.

It’s common to feel a tug-of-war between inner anxiety and recognizing God’s nearness. In this conversation with Andy Stanley and Steve Cuss, we’re invited to consider some false needs that may be steering our reactions.

First-century Israel expected a king who would overthrow Rome. Jesus offered a kingdom far bigger—and he had to redefine “Messiah” before they could see it.

We’re all going to follow someone or something. If not Jesus, then who?

Our problem often isn’t that we ask God for too much but rather that we settle for too little.

Following Jesus requires that we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. This begs the question of who does and doesn’t fall into the neighbor category. According to Jesus, selective compassion is not an option.

We set out to build a church where the convinced and the curious could belong.

It’s one thing to trust God when you’ve lost control; it’s another to resist acting like God once you’ve gained it.

When life goes from bad to worse, will you simply react—or respond as if God is still with you?

Your life isn’t defined by what’s been done to you, but by how you choose to respond—especially when every instinct says to react.