Category: Christmas

And the Word Became Flesh

December 26, 2021

St. Gregory of Nyssa called Christmas the “festival of re-creation.” It is God giving God’s own life to his people. It is as if God said, “I want humanity to see my face. I want them to hear my voice. I want them to touch me. I want them to smell my sweat. I want them to eat my body. I want to live their life. I want them to live my life.” “And the word became flesh and lived among us.” This is God in the flesh, the divine human, holy humanity. … More And the Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word

December 25, 2021

So I was thinking, maybe we could do that, too. Maybe we could bear witness to the light that comes from the Word who was with God, who was God in the beginning. Maybe we could be like John so that others might believe through us and the light, which enlightens everyone, might shine forth on everyone.

This, I was thinking, is exactly what Christmas invites us to be and to do, to bear witness to the light. And we are asked to do all in our power to help others do so as well. This is what is meant by seeking and serving Christ, the Word, the Logos, in all persons, everywhere, at all times. … More In the beginning was the Word

The Gamble of the Incarnation

December 24, 2021

They themselves became the image of the incarnation, where humanity and divinity become one.

At the incarnation, with the birth of Jesus, in the Word become flesh, God disarms completely. It was an absolutely insane and risky thing to do: trusting a people with such a horrible track record of violence and war with the birth of the son of God. But, that is precisely what God does! God gambles on us. It’s an incredulous, risky gamble when God bets on us, pushing all the chips in and saying, “No matter what I’m holding and no matter what you’re holding, no matter the cards left in the deck. I’m all here. I’m all in. I’m with you.” … More The Gamble of the Incarnation

Oranges in the Stocking

December 24, 2020

The incarnation of love that the nativity parables point to is the same love encountered in Jesus during his ministry. Yes, in Jesus – in this radical, freethinking, boundary-breaking, justice-seeking, peacemaking, wound-healing Jesus – we discover the icon of the God who is love in ways that shatter our understanding. In our experience of Jesus, even death cannot rob us, even pandemics cannot hold us down. That’s why the Christmas parable is so important in our annual celebrations of life. Everything about the Nativity parable points us to the reality of the divine in everyday, fleshy stuff of life. … More Oranges in the Stocking

Good News!

December 25, 2019

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY (Christmas I)
The challenge for us in the world is to find ways to acknowledge the presence of God in the ordinary and to celebrate God’s presence in the everyday. Maybe we can find God in the smile of a friend, in sharing a meal, in the beauty of art and music. That’s the challenge of Christmas, to keep it alive all year round – to make sure that we expect God’s inbreaking as part of our ordinary lives. … More Good News!