Here, too, is the place for us to build a grand suspension bridge, by which, through faith, we ourselves may cross from this side to the other of the stormy river of time....At his first advent, we adore him with gratitude, rejoicing in 'God with us', as making himself to be our near kinsman. We gather with grateful boldness around the infant in the manger, and behold our God. But in the second advent we are struck with a solemn reverence, a trembling awe.

In one of those classes where they try to teach seminary students how to preach, our professor said, "The hardest sermon to preach year in and year out is the Thanksgiving sermon." That stuck with me. You might imagine then how I felt when I got my senior preaching assignment. I was to preach a Thanksgiving sermon before the whole student body and faculty with the sermon followed by public faculty criticism.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Most Biblical scholars agree that the apostle Paul composed Philippians while he was in prison, Greg Carey, a professor of New Testament at Lancaster Theological Seminary, told HuffPost.

"What is it that makes a person great, admired by creation, well pleasing in the eyes of God? What is it that makes a person strong, stronger than the whole world; what is it that makes him weak, weaker than a child? What is it that makes a person unwavering, more unwavering than a rock; what is it that makes him soft, softer than wax? -- it is love! What is it that is older than everything? It is love. What is it that outlives everything? It is love.