| Here’s a verse I’m betting didn’t appear on any of your Christmas cards. “The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born” (Rev. 12:4). Most of the verses that comes to mind at Christmas have to do with peace and glad tidings. Horrific verses like the one rarely make the list. But they’re about Christmas, too. And, as Julie Canlis points out, they had deep significance for early believers. “For the early Christians, too, caught in an apocalyptic landscape of their own, Christ’s birth pointed forward to death—both his and their own. They knew that following him might require suffering and, if not physical death, the inner agonies and ecstasies of death to self. But in this journey, they were never alone.” Read: For Your Next Nativity Scene, Add a Dragan and a Baptismal Font. It’s hard to believe, but the New Year is almost here. If you’re thinking of launching a new ministry in 2023, check out our resource on the topic. These articles will help you gain traction as you start the hard work of launching and leading a ministry. | 