Worship Sundays at 9 am
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Preparing for Sunday Dec. 16
Where do you find Jesus?
Luke 2:7-12 “…she wrapped Him in cloths,
and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The prophets of old hungered for the nearness and vitality of God to be alive and present among God’s people. They called for it, yearned for it and warned of ignoring it. They spoke of it with power and conviction. Because of their passion and hope, many people would not receive them. Murder and death were tools often employed to silence those instruments of God.
To King David, God promised a righteous branch, a king from his own lineage who would reign on his throne forever, but David didn’t see it. He was left to wait and trust God.
There has always been a labor in loving God and waiting for God’s nearness. I call this, “The labor of discovering Jesus.” Even Mary is not spared the labor of bring the life of Jesus into the world, or the labor of watching the world attempt to snuff it out.
I want to suggest that there is not anything magic or easy about God’s coming among us in Jesus. It is filled with all the hard work of finding and having life in this world we all share. And it is filled with all the work and waiting and anticipation of long centuries of God’s people hoping for and desiring God’s strength and presence among God’s people.
Even when God finally does come (yes, it’s a miracle), but it’s not simple, or easy or magic. It is earthy and challenging and filled with the need for faith and hope and struggle that life has always been about.
Giving birth to Jesus in our communities and in our lives is never simple and I would never say it was easy… nor I think would Mary. It is filled with all the challenges of pregnancy and labor and giving birth. And when God’s nearness comes and is right on our door step, even there, our work of welcoming and preparing for, and giving Jesus the center of our lives, goes on.
Giving birth to Jesus in our lives and communities is not magic but it is the work of faith – and a gift that God brings into this difficult reality we call life. Come Lord Jesus!
Pastor Mitch
With One Voice #629 “All Earth is Hopeful”