December 25 – The Nativity of our Lord/Christmas Day

Isaiah 52:7-10

Christmas is more than gifts and food.  We gather together to hear the great news of God’s deep love for us in sending one who will teach us and show us that God’s purpose for this world is life and wholeness.  Isaiah sees this and rejoices that God’s purposes will become reality.

Hebrews 1:1-12

The Letter to the Hebrews traces how God has been at work through the people of Israel, and how God has continued the promises through Jesus.  But the writer also proclaims the radical good news of Christmas: God did not send an emissary; God’s very being came to earth in Jesus.

John 1:1-14

The beginning of the gospel of John sings of the incarnation: God takes on our human life and comes among us in lowliness, in vulnerability, and in love, all for our salvation.  John uses the contrasts of light and darkness to describe this truth: without God we walk in darkness, with God’s presence with us in Jesus, we get a clear picture of who God is and who we are.