We have had the Feast Day (I hope your “feast” was bountiful, almost healthful, and pleasant) celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Almost nothing is recorded about Jesus from about two years old or fewer when the Magi visited until his ministry. That leaves much to the imagination. The most imaginative book I’ve read speculating on those years is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus’ Best Pal by Christopher Moore. If you are shocked by imaginative literature, don’t read it. But I found it both hilarious and poignant.
Back to reality. Jesus began a ministry. His first word was an invitation, which I take to mean us as well as the original disciples—Follow Me.
What did it mean to follow—for them and for us and for those we also invite?
Jesus answered that with his only command, “Love God with all your heart, mind, spirit, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Some people stop at the “love God” part. They ignore the rest.
Don’t be “some people.”
If you wonder about the love your neighbor part—James gives some pithy examples. Also read the letter to the Romans—chapters 12-15. These answer the question, “What’s next?”
What sort of person do wish to be in 2026? You could do worse than emulate those instructions.
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Faith Venture 
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