Christmas Eve & Dec 26th

A few thoughts about the upcoming texts this week.

Christmas Eve - Luke 2:1-20
This is the text we use every Christmas. Is there anything new that grabs you this year?

• 2:7 must be the most inspiring verse in the Bible! Have any other verses yeilded so many songs, plays, sermons, pageants, debates, and discussions?
• If the shepherds hadn't come, would Mary and Joseph have raised Jesus any differently?
• Think about the shepherds for a moment - what would their next day have been like?
• How would their lives be different after this event?
• For how long would they talk about that night? (How long do you tell stories about significant events in your life?)

[I'm not very interested in debating the text. For me, the truth of it goes much deeper than whether it's literally historical-factual or whether it's a grand metaphor. Deconstruction can be fun and stimulating, but moving through and beyond it to reconstruction is far more interesting.]

• What's your favourite Christmas carol? Why?
• What's your favourite Christmas movie? Why?
• What do you love most about Christmas?

Dec 26th - Isaiah 63:7-9

A short text.

63:7 - It opens with a commitment to remembering and rehearsing the blessings of God.

• When do you pause to "count your blessings"?  (can you hear Bing singing?)

63:9 - One word - presence! What saves them/us? God's Presence!

• Where and when have you felt God's Presence this Christmas season?
• What kinds of places and times do you usually find God's Presence is more noticeable?

Discuss: Presence is my favourite word to describe God. Mystery is good too, but Mystery can remain detached whereas Presence is, by definition, felt and experienced.

I think Bruce Epperly captures the season in a most beautiful way:
"The Christmas mood is one of joy – the joy of seeing the light, of finding God’s path, of experiencing the new and unexpected and discovering that God’s vision of new life embraces everyone. This joy contrasts with the realities of hopelessness and despair, and threat to young life. But, it is a joy that can endure and call us to wholeness amid the very imperfect conditions of our lives. Joy can be born in us – possibility can give birth to novel expressions of healing and wholeness – for God is here, in us, with us, and inspiring us in a forward movement of joyous light-bearing."

May God's mysterious presence be known and real to you this Christmas in a profound and holy way!
Merry Christmas!

Shalom!