UBC Wed For Life

                 It’s the Christmas season once again. It’s supposed to be a time of merriment and cheer, but this season is turning out to be stressful for many. Prices have risen on goods, food, energy, and other things. As a result, many people are finding it more difficult to partake in their usual holiday activities. That’s understandable, especially for nonbelievers. However, for believers, the troubles we’re currently facing in today’s world shouldn’t steal our Christmas joy. After all, we know the reason for the season. That shouldn’t be treated as a fun little saying. It should be our reality. Beyond the gift giving, family meals, and time off work, Christmas should be about celebrating Jesus, our savior. It’s not surprising that the world forgets why we celebrate this holiday. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image...

                 If you’ve ever stood before a funhouse mirror, you know the shock of seeing your shape stretched, squeezed, or reshaped into something unrecognizable. Have you noticed how societies work the same way, quietly bending people into forms they never intended to take? Scripture gives us such a mirror in the story of ancient Israel, where even the most sacred households produced sons who reflected not their fathers’ faithfulness, but their nation’s corruption. It’s a reminder that culture is not a distant backdrop, but a sculptor shaping souls. Consider Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, infamously described as “worthless men who did not know the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:12). They leveraged their father's holy office for personal gain, distorted justice, and weaponized spiritual authority. Their behavior was a product of their situations and circumstances; it echoed the spiritual erosion of Israel, a nation drifting into moral corruption and...