I’ve always stumbled over this line in Silent Night: “The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.” A baby who doesn’t cry didn’t strike me as pious but strange. Russell Moore agrees. He observes that the lyric “assumes that a baby’s cry is a sin rather than part of the good human nature the Son of God assumed.” Furthermore, he argues that the Baby Jesus’ cries hold an important lesson for his followers.

“Christ calls us to once again be as little children—dependent and vulnerable, attached and loved—not by cooing and gurgling but by screaming and groaning. And, like Jesus, even in those loud cries and tears, we are heard (Heb. 5:7).”

Read: The Baby Jesus Taught Us How to Scream

With the new year upon us, it’s a good time to think about the future. Our resource on Next Steps in Your Ministry Vocation is a great guide to do this well. This 33-page resource is full of insights on what makes a ministry situation right or wrong for you, how to say goodbye to a people you have served, and ways to discern a new direction to pursue.