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Christmas Day and 1 Christmas
December 25-27, 2020
Sermons
In the Flesh
Christmas Day (I)
Written by the Rev. Warren Thomas Swenson
Luke’s nativity story is familiar to most of us, whether we know it or not. That famous account of Jesus’ birth that we hear, year-in and year-out, begins with those ever-so recognizable lines, “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered…” You know where this one’s going right from the very beginning... read more
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The Shepherds
Christmas Day (II)
Written by the Rev. Jazzy Bostock
Dear people of God - Happy Christmas! After a long Advent, here we are - hearing the well-worn story of Jesus coming into the world. Hearing, again, the hope of the light which breaks into the least likely of places. And, no matter how many times we hear it - no matter how many Christmas services we attend - this is always news we need to hear. And it is always good... read more
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Understanding the Word
Christmas Day (III)
Written by the Rev. Kathleen Walker
Today is a beautiful day in which we celebrate the incarnation of God through the birth of a baby boy by the name of Jesus. In a year that has been beset with unanticipated challenges and the spread of a virus, we still have so much for which to be grateful... read more
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Right Relationship
1 Christmas
Written by the Rev. Cn. Anna Sutterisch
Merry Christmas! Today is the first Sunday of Christmas, and we have all woken up this morning with nothing on our minds but celebrating the coming of Christ incarnate, thanking God for becoming human and living alongside us, and celebrating the incarnation of God to save us – and the world – through a love beyond exception ...right? read more
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Bible Study
1 Christmas
In mid-winter, the longest nights of the year, we hear this passage from Isaiah, full of imagery of shining royal splendor and beauty and of the springing forth of plants from the ground. In the midst of cold, dark nights, these images shine even more brightly. We are told that God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up in us, just like the garden causes what is planted in it to spring up... read more
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Bulletin Insert
The Good Book Club 2021: The Gospel of Mark
Begin 2021 with the Gospel of Mark! The Good Book Club returns to read the earliest and shortest of the four gospels, starting Friday, January 1, 2021, through Shrove Tuesday, February 16. Mark opens with words from the prophet Isaiah: “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,” and indeed the gospel itself serves as a messenger for the life and ministry of Jesus. Written around 65-75 CE, Mark proclaims the good news that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God... read more
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Lesson Plans
Gospel Lesson Plans
Celebration – A Child Among Us
Hovering over all of history – the parts we have recorded and all that came before – is the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. This Jesus, whom we can begin to grasp as the baby born on Christmas, is obviously something infinitely beyond our understanding. This is light no darkness can blot out. This true light is now loose in the world... read more
Old Testament Lesson Plans
Praise Will Spring Up Like Flowers
Much of Isaiah focuses on a people who have been banished from their homeland and lived in exile for decades. We hear in earlier sections of the book of the prophet Isaiah as the people long for the sweet deliverance of God allowing them to return home. In the section of Isaiah we read today, we hear part of a song of praise sung to God in thanksgiving for their long-awaited homecoming... read more
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