Rev. Lachelle Marie Dixon-Harris is a proclaimer of the Gospel, Christian educator, coach, and servant leader with more than 30 years of experience in ministry, instructional leadership, and organizational development. She accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at the age of four...

Rev. Dr. Lisa Maxine Goods is a pastor, preacher, teacher, professor, chaplain, womanist, and justice-seeker. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a 20-year resident of Chicago, Illinois. A sought-after preacher, teacher, and revivalist, Dr. Goods is currently the Senior Pastor of The Shiloh Baptist Church of Cleveland, Ohio - the first female pastor in the church’s 176-year history.

Rev. Christine A. Smith, Ph.D., was called to serve as senior pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, Wickliffe, Ohio in 2006. In 2014 the church relocated to Euclid, Ohio. Subsequently, in 2019, the church changed its name to “Restoration Ministries of Greater Cleveland, Inc.”

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week, we remember that the greatest gifts in this season are not the ones we can buy or wrap. They are the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love that flow from the living presence of God with us. In these holy days, we recenter Christ in Christmas, remembering Jesus is our source, our anchor, and our reason to rejoice.

Jesus still offers us a complete joy that is abundant, resilient, and lasting. It’s not shallow, fake, or dependent on everything in our lives going right. We don’t need to feel happy all the time, nor do we need to express emotions that we don’t honestly have.

As we continue through this Advent season, let us remain grateful for God’s grace and power that have sustained us, especially in the moments when life feels heavy, overwhelming, and uncertain. 

As we enter this Advent season, let us stay thankful for the grace that has brought us this far, with hearts still strong, watchful, and hopeful.  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).  When doubt and discouragement press in, we practice faith and hold on to hope as holy resistance. We refuse to allow darkness, doubt, and discouragement to have the final say

On this sacred day of gratitude, my heart is full as I reflect on the Lord’s unfailing love, which strengthens us, sustains us, and generously provides for our needs. As the psalmist reminds us, God alone satisfies the weary soul and fills the hungry with good things (Psalm 107).

This is a reminder of the power we have as a body of believers to stand together, even as things seem to be falling apart.