Merry Christmas!
This week we gather to celebrate God's presence in our midst. We know God as light scattering darkness, as children looking upwards in wonder, as families gathering together, as shepherds running joyfully across the fields, as a new mother welcoming her child, as wise men realizing they have a whole lot still to learn. We know God's presence through music, through communion, in a goofy and joyful pageant, and most of all through each other.
As our community gathers to celebrate Christmas I'm aware that we have so many blessings from God. Our church is thriving, full of new people, young and old. We have enough money to pay our bills and to share with people who need help. We have so many people who love to be together to talk and laugh and sing and pray and share silence. The people of Christ Church know how to have a good party, and how to band together to feed and house our community. The people of Christ Church wrestle with theology while making space for mystery. The people of Christ Church are trying really hard to listen for whom God is calling them to be. As we gather this Christmas to again celebrate Jesus' birth into this messy world, I bid you to remember all of our blessings, to continue sharing them joyfully, and to listen for God in the stillness of these holy nights.
Merry Christmas and God bless you.
-Stephen