Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them a light has shined…For a child has been born for us, a son given to su; authority rests upon his shoulders and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:2, 6 NRSV

God has joined us as a baby, born in a manger, beloved child of Mary and Joseph. Of all the amazing things that could have happened, of all the wonderful ways God came to us, this is the most precious.

Thank you, Lord. You came to love us by letting us love you. You showed us what holiness meant by depending on a young mother and her kind husband. Peace and love are ours because you are ours and we are yours. Welcome to our world, welcome to our family, welcome to our hearts. Amen.

Art by Margaret Hill, grandmother, artist, singer, child of the most holy God.

Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-11; Luke 1:46b-55; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

(Drawing offered by Margaret Hill, artist, grandmother, seeker of the Christ Child)

Mary is visited by an angel and steps into God’s sacred story in an unexpected way – by expecting a child. When she goes to visit Elizabeth, another message comes with an in utero leap and an expectant mother’s words: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. (Luke 1:42-45)

Then Mary sings her song – a message of hope for the whole world these two thousand odd years: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all will call me blessed: for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name…

Then Mary’s song changes. It isn’t just about her any more because she knows the glorious truth that transforms everything: God’s visit to one person is never a singular blessing. Good news is for everyone, most especially those in desperate need. Holiness cannot be contained, and was never meant to be hoarded by one person or a single group. Blessing comes into its own when it is recognized for what it is and shared with others.

I don’t know what the messenger will look like – the one who reveals to you the holiness of your own life. Will it be an angel with wings, a scrap of poetry found in a dusty old book, or the look in the eyes of a friend? When you see your messenger, when you receive your message, I hope you tell me about it. After all, sacred stories can’t all be contained in scripture, and I love a good story.

Blessings and Peace to you and yours on this sacred night.

(Boney M, Mary’s Boy Child/O My Lord, (Christmas Album), 1981. Available on iTunes)

Readings: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Judges 13:2-24; John 7:40-52

When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?”…Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them (Pharisees), asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” John 7:40-41, 50-52 NRSV

Every so often, someone looks different from what his or her voice sounds like. Or, more truthfully, the picture I have in my mind of the person who belongs to the voice doesn’t match the person who actually has that voice. Of course the person and voice do match –  it’s just the image I’ve created for the voice that’s off the mark. But it’s surprising how powerfully my preconceived image objects to correction.

Are the people in today’s passage having the same problem? Do they have a preconceived image of a Messiah that doesn’t want to be corrected by reality? In this case, it isn’t a mismatched voice: it’s an incorrect home address. Are some zip codes holier than others?

Whenever this mismatch happens, it comes with a choice: do I choose to reshape my idea around the reality God has given me or do I attempt to bend or deny reality until it fits my idea?

Dear God, give me enough courage and humility to recognize your prophets…and enough wisdom to see you in the face of Jesus. Amen.

Bruce Cockburn, Soul of a Man, Nothing But a Burning Light, (available on iTunes)

Readings: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; 2 Samuel 6:12-19; Hebrews 1:5-14

I have found my servant David;

With my holy oil I have anointed him;

My arm also shall strengthen him.

Psalm 89:20-21

I love a good mystery. Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, P.D. James, Elizabeth George, and Martha Grimes have written me into their worlds, and I’ve spent many hours with Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, Holmes and Watson, Dalgliesh, Lynley, Jury and Plant. While it seems most real life crimes are committed by the usual suspects (spouse, sibling, business partner, etc.), it’s almost never the obvious suspect in a well written mystery. On the rare occasion that the butler/husband/heir did do it, the reasons are never as simple as they often are in real life. A good mystery is exactly that: a mystery.

Life outside criminal investigations is rarely simple or obvious. There isn’t a living being that can be fully understood. It’s difficult to predict what any particular person might do when faced with a challenge or put in a dangerous situation. Who can work under pressure? Who will find an unexpected solution to a vexing problem? Who will find the strength and courage to risk life and limb to save others? It’s almost impossible to know in advance.

The same was true when today’s passages were written. Who would have thought that the poetry writing, dancing-before-God-and-people, youngest son and shepherd would be chosen by God to rule? Who would have thought a poor teenager and a carpenter would be the ones to raise God-With-Us? Why a locust eating backwoods preacher as the forerunner? Why a Nazarene born in a stable?

In this holy world where mystery abounds, God only knows who will be chosen next. Why not you? Why not me?

O Lord, guide my feet on this road to Bethlehem. Amen.

Readings: Psalm 125; Malachi 3:16-4:6; Mark 9:9-13

I have attended church almost every Sunday of my remembered life.
I love the church, the quietness of the space and the holiness of the environments I have been part of throughout the different stages of my life. In each of these church experiences I had my pre-conceived idea of who Jesus was based on the experiences of my life beforehand and what I had been taught and had been willing to take the time to study.

(In the verses just before these, Peter, James, and John have seen Jesus transfigured and heard the voice of God speaking to them)

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings ad be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.” Mark 9:9-13 NRSV

On the way down from the mountaintop experience, Jesus commands these three disciples not to tell anyone what they had  seen; it would not be understood until after the resurrection. These disciples had been so completely schooled in the idea that the Messiah would set up a kingdom on earth that they could not understand what Jesus was saying. When the Cross had taught them what Messiahship meant and when the Resurrection had convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah, then, and then only, could they tell of the glory of the mountain top.

I need to be careful that I am not blind to what God wants to do in and through my life because I have already decided how I want things to turn out. It is so easy to be blind to the truth when I already have a preconceived idea of how I want certain things to be.

This scripture reminds me that there are times when God graciously allows us to take a few steps by sight so that we can continue the journey by faith. Peter, James, and John see Jesus with the two most prominent figures in the Old Testament – Moses the Lawgiver and Elijah the great prophet.  Jesus is briefly transfigured, and they are allowed to see Him in a glorious state. Finally, and most significantly, they hear the voice of God for themselves when He affirms that Jesus is His son. Allowing Peter, James, and John to experience these things was an expression of God’s grace upon them at this point in their journey of following Jesus. They may not understand what they saw, but they did see it.

I wonder if we understand what resurrection means. I am increasingly convinced that our present day equivalent to the disciples wondering, “What does this talk of resurrection mean?” might be “What difference does resurrection make in day-to-day lives?” And if, in the end, we can’t answer that question, then we might also wonder why we say we follow the way of Christ at all.

Yes, we’re familiar with the idea of resurrection. But do we actually expect it and experience it? Have you ever had an experience where God allowed you to take a few steps by sight so that you could continue the journey by faith?

Prayer: Dear God, let the resurrection be real for us, shaping both our faith and our actions in this world. In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

Offered by Donna Eby, photographer, teacher, seeker of the Christ Child.

Readings: Psalm 125; 2 Kings 2:9-22 (23-25); Acts 3:17-4:4

Now the people of the city said to Elisha, “The location is good…but the water is bad and the land unfruitful…then he went to the spring of water and threw the salt into it, and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have made this water wholesome; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” So the water has been wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha spoke.

Elijah has been taken up into the heavens, leaving Elisha to pick up his prophet’s mantle. He is a true prophet, having the power to do mighty things in the name of the Lord. Putting grief aside, he manages to cleanse a spring of water – an act that saves the people from illness and death. Prophecy and help don’t die with Elijah because God continues to provide for the people through Elisha. God’s power has passed into new hands. That’s where the story ends when it’s heard in church or listed in daily devotionals, but it’s not the end of the story as written:

He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” When he turned and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria. 2 Kings 2:19, 21, 23-25 NRSV

As our weary and grieving prophet heads out of town, a pack of small boys runs alongside, shouting insults and taunting Elisha. Elisha snaps, turning his grief, exhaustion, and annoyance into a curse that leaves dozens of young boys injured and dying. He keeps walking, leaving behind life-giving water and heartbroken families. Human frailty and great power can harm just as easily as it can heal.

Perhaps this is why God-With-Us came to Mary and Joseph – a young woman willing to risk everything to serve God and a man kind enough to refrain from harming her even when he thought she had been unfaithful. God knew they would love him and teach him to act with compassion. For Mary and Joseph were so loving that God gave them his only begotten son…

Come, walk with me to Bethlehem.