The fifth gate of the City of God is named after Benjamin, whose name means "son of my right hand." This gate reminds us that Jesus is the Son of God's right hand.

The world in which we live is broken. Everyone knows it. Everyone has different ideas about how to fix it. Some turn to political involvement. Some turn to environmental causes. Some simply give up and try to get as much out of this life as they can get before it all comes crashing down. There is hope for this world and His name is Jesus.

In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd. However, most of us don't really know what a shepherd in 1st-century Israel did, so we don't really know what Jesus is saying about himself. When we learn what Jesus was really saying about himself and our relationship with Him, our hearts overflow with gratitude!

Jesus proclaims his deity by declaring that He has abilities and prerogatives that only belong to God. Then He offers some witnesses to corroborate His claims.

The miracle of God becoming flesh is mind-blowing and revolutionary, but it has become almost old hat in our culture because we've heard of it so often. In John 1:14, the author purposefully directs the reader's attention to the Old Testament tabernacle and shows us how it always pointed forward to Jesus.

The words to this beloved Christmas carol provide a powerful picture of the joy found in Christ and what we should do with it.