Several years ago, writer and speaker Karen Swallow Prior was hit by a bus—literally. While the physical pain was entirely overcoming, Prior says that it was not the most painful experience of her life. A season of betrayal, a time when people broke her trust and crushed her spirit, hurt so much more.
“Betrayal breaks things you didn’t know could be broken and ushers in losses of things you didn’t even know you had until they are gone,” writes Prior at CT. She explains that betrayal makes people doubt their judgment, wondering what they should believe now that people they trusted have proven untrustworthy.
“Jesus,” she says, “knows what it is to be betrayed.”
And yet, when his dear friend Judas betrayed him with a kiss, Jesus “let the darkness be the darkness while he kept on being the light.”
Whether our Christmas Day’s usher in joy and gratitude or we are struggling to see in the dark, may we let in the light. And with it, may we find the peace that passes all understanding taking root in our hearts.
On Sunday, two gunmen killed more than 15 people on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where the local Jewish community had gathered for a Hanukkah celebration. As antisemitic violence rises…
Because Christ Reigns, The Church Can Flourish
Isaiah tells us of the coming Messiah, “Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end.” At Christianity Today, we believe that because Christ reigns, the Church can flourish—even in a world that still aches for His peace.
Through in-depth journalism, redemptive storytelling, and resources that disciple believers, CT helps the global Church live faithfully in this “already and not yet” Kingdom—seeing the world through the lens of Christ’s truth and hope.
As one reader shared, “CT helps us learn to be faithful and see the world in a faithful way.”
As we enter the holiday season, we consider how the places to which we belong shape us—and how we can be the face of welcome in a broken world. In this issue, you’ll read about how a monastery on Patmos offers quiet in a world of noise and, from Ann Voskamp, how God’s will is a place to find home. Read about modern missions terminology in our roundtable feature and about an astrophysicist’s thoughts on the Incarnation. Be sure to linger over Andy Olsen’s reported feature “An American Deportation” as we consider Christian responses to immigration policies. May we practice hospitality wherever we find ourselves.
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