The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. Isaiah 59:15b (NRSVUE)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. … But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,… the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-4, 12, 14 (NRSVUE)
Dear Beloveds,
Merry Christmas!
Even as the world and our country face the uncertainties brought on by human brokenness, we return once again to the celebration of our Savior’s birth. Whether we are aware or not, Jesus continually comes to us, at his first Advent and even daily, as we await his return. Even when we struggle to find joy, Jesus’ constant presence with us is a truth in which we can always find it.
God sent Divine Justice, enrobed in the flesh of a vulnerable baby. Jesus came that all might know the love and embrace of God’s grace, its power to transform us, and so that we would know ourselves as God’s beloved.
All of Jesus’ life shows us how to live as children of God;
vulnerable and dependent on love and the care of others;
unambiguous solidarity with the poor and the marginalized;
a bold voice for justice and equity;
and a generous presence.
This is what God with us looks like.
In this time of political disarray and distress, find courage in the truth and good news of Christ’s birth. Emmanuel, God with us, shows us the way to live through these troubled times.
My Christmas prayer for us as we seek to live faithfully:
May we model our lives after the baby born in Bethlehem, that in our transformation into his likeness, we may embody the love, justice and truth the world longs for.
Christmas blessings,
