Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12 15 2025
“Following the Star… and the Cross”
Picture again this December moment—another evening by the fire. Maybe you’re looking at a nativity scene nearby: Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, all gathered around the Christ child. But here’s something we often forget:
The shadow of the Cross stretches all the way back to the manger.
Hans Urs von Balthasar presses us into that truth when he writes:
“It is to the Cross that the Christian is challenged to follow his Master; no path of redemption can make a detour around it.”
Not exactly the kind of message we stamp on holiday cards.
Yet, Christmas and the Cross are made of the same wood.
The same love that sent Jesus to Bethlehem… sent Him to Calvary.
The same God who became flesh in a stable stretched out those human arms on a Cross.
The same angels who sang at His birth later watched Him die and rise again.
So why does this matter during Christmas—this season of joy, softness, and celebration?
Because the Christmas story opens a door of opportunity…a holy moment when the world is more tender, more receptive, more awake to wonder. People who never think about God suddenly hum carols rich with theology. Hearts that are usually guarded, crack open just a little. And into that openness, God whispers:
“Follow Me… even when the road leads to sacrifice.”
Sanctification…becoming like Christ isn’t some distant theological concept. It’s the daily choice to walk the same path Jesus walked. Not around hardship. Not around obedience. Not around love that costs something. But straight through it.
And Christmas shines a spotlight on that invitation.
Mary said yes, not knowing the sword that would pierce her own heart.
Joseph obeyed, though it cost him reputation and comfort.
The wise men traveled far, risking danger to seek a King they didn’t fully understand.
Even the shepherds left their flocks—their livelihood—to kneel in wonder.
Each of them walked a little bit of the way of the Cross even as they knelt at the crib.
And maybe that’s our invitation too.
To follow the Star…even when the road is uncertain.
To embrace the Cross…even when it asks something costly.
To trust God’s shaping hand…even when it sands down our rough edges.
What YOU become is your gift to God.
And every step on the road of sacrifice, obedience, and love shapes that gift. Yes, Every Step…
So maybe this Christmas, your act of discipleship is forgiving someone who hurt you.
Or choosing hope, when cynicism feels easier.
Or giving generously when finances feel tight.
Or practicing patience when your nerves are frayed.
Or surrendering a plan you’ve clung to tightly.
These small, quiet obedience’s…these humble, ordinary yeses…are the shaping tools of sanctification. They are how we follow our Master, one step at a time, every single day, forward, toward the fullness of who we’re called to become.
And the fire crackles again. The nativity scene sits quietly nearby. And you realize:
The path from the manger leads toward the Cross…
but beyond the Cross lies resurrection and a place He has prepared for you
since the beginning of time.
It’s called the love of the Father.
And that is the promise that makes every step worth taking.
I pray you humble yourself in this season,
to see that your every breath will present a gift of honor
or lukewarmness to the King who gave everything to be with you.
It isn’t about the presents under the tree…
YOU are the presence Jesus is looking for in your every thought and every breath.
Whatever your circumstances this Christmas…No matter the hurtful or lonesome memories you may carry…The love He gave is so much bigger…and will last for eternity.
Heralding for us to step into the miracle of Christmas.
The miracle of the person of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus!
Please be in prayer for my wife Dyan, who goes in for a Spinal Ablation on Wednesday morning, to prayerfully deliver her from the pain that has kept her out of church for 4 months.
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