First Reading: Isaiah 61:10—62:3

 ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
  my whole being shall exult in my God;
 for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
 as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
 ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
  and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
 so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
  to spring up before all the nations.

 ^62:1For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
  and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
 until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
  and her salvation like a burning torch.
 ²The nations shall see your vindication,
  and all the kings your glory;
 and you shall be called by a new name
  that the mouth of the Lord will give.
 ³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
  and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm: Psalm 148

The splendor of the Lord is over earth and heaven. (Ps. 148:13)

 ¹Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
  praise God in the heights.
 ²Praise the Lord, all you angels;
  sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.
 ³Praise the Lord, sun and moon;
  sing praise, all you shining stars.
 ⁴Praise the Lord, heaven of heavens,
  and you waters above the heavens.
 ⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  who commanded, and they were created,
 ⁶who made them stand fast forever and ever,
  giving them a law that shall not pass away. 
 ⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
  you sea monsters and all deeps;
 ⁸fire and hail and snow and fog,
  tempestuous wind, doing God’s will;
 ⁹mountains and all hills,
  fruit trees and all cedars;
 ¹⁰wild beasts and all cattle,
  creeping things and flying birds;
 ¹¹sovereigns of the earth and all peoples,
  princes and all rulers of the world;
 ¹²young men and maidens,
  old and young together. 
 ¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven.
 ¹⁴The Lord has raised up strength for the people and praise for    all faithful servants,
  the children of Israel, a people who are near    

         Lord. Hallelujah! 

Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7

⁴When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. ⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

²²When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Joseph and Mary] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
 ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
 ²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
  according to your word;
 ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,
  ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
 ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles
  and for glory to your people Israel.”
 ³³And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
 ³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
 ³⁹When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Tonight many of us will sit by our TVs and watch the big ball drop in Time’s Square in New York City.  Fireworks are being sold all over here in Florida.  Many will sing the song “Auld Lang Syne”.  The song begins by posing a rhetorical question: Is it right that old times be forgotten? The answer encourages us to remember the blessings of friendship through this last year.  Think of someone who has blessed you this year with presence.

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

Chorus
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Let us pray.  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

            Today is Christmas 1 and we step into the church’s Christmas season.  We turn our hearts from celebration of the birth of Christ to contemplate his childhood.  The Christmas season goes from Christmas Eve to January 6th, the start of Epiphany, and the celebration of the arrival of the wise men. Today is Christmas 1 but today is also December 31^st and tonight we will step into a new calendar year. At midnight many will pause to sing, “Auld Lang Syne.”  AND today is also today, our present, when we stand surrounded by past and future that colors the meaning we make of our present.  The past, the present, and the future are heavy with meaning today.

         Our text takes us from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and the circumcision of baby Jesus.  Joseph and Mary were quietly following Jewish rituals defined by the laws of Moses.  In the midst of this ordinary routine of life, two other ordinary people, Simeon and Anna, walk into the Temple and our couple is amazed at what they hear.  Today we too are returning to the ordinary routines of our lives after Christmas celebrations and New Year’s celebrations.  As we come to God’s house today may our eyes be amazed as we lay our past, our present, and our future before God.

Simeon

²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
  according to your word;
 ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,
  ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
 ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles
  and for glory to your people Israel.”

         None of the people we have met so far in the Christmas story have totally understood what was happening much beyond their present moment in history.  Certainly Herod was looking for a Messiah whom there was a past prophecy about and whom he thought he could kill if he identified him.  He thought he could end the threat to his future leadership and defeat the prophecy.  Certainly Zechariah and Elizabeth had seen an angel and bore a miracle son they called John whom they thought would rally their people to return to faith.  Faith for the Jews, though, was lived out in obedience to the law and its rules. John called people to repentance for breaking the law to prepare the way for the future Messiah.  Certainly Joseph and Mary had seen angels and knew their baby was of God and would be the Messiah, but the popular belief was that the Messiah would bring political salvation from the Romans and return the Jews to the glory of King David and King Solomon.  They may have been thinking their son would make Israel “great again.”  The shepherds, well, they visited and returned to their ordinary existence in the fields. None anticipated what the adult life of Jesus would be like.  And for sure, none anticipated the cross and the resurrection

         Simeon is different.  He has been waiting “for the consolation of Israel” for years. Simeon sees baby Jesus and sees salvation.  Simeon sees baby Jesus and sees “light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  Simeon sees baby Jesus and predicts glory for Israel.  Simeon is able to understand present reality from the perspective of his past experiences and then predict future potential.  He allows his past experience of God’s faithfulness and the future promises of God help him define his present reality.

     As we wait for God to unfold our future, I wonder if our hearts are open for seeing how God can use the potential hidden within a situation we face today and realize God is fulfilling a promise from the past?  Today many people will sit down to say goodbye to 2023.  For some, emotions of “Whew, made it through 2023 and hope I don’t have to repeat those trials again” will fill their thinking.  They may look back with gratitude that they survived Coved, divorce, cancer or perhaps even death of a loved one.  2023 memories will be deeply impacted by stories of survival from trauma.  Simeon challenges us as we reflect tonight to put those hard experiences that come to mind, not in a survival story, but a story that seeks to see how God is fulfilling his promise for our future, a story of potential.  Waiting is hard because often we wait for the answer we want.  Simeon saw a baby and envisioned a savior.  He saw a baby and realized that child would spread light into his world as he grew. He saw a baby and believed he would be used to bring glory to God.  His heart was open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

         Simeon was waiting for the “consolation of Israel.”  Consolation means comfort.  Simeon believed God speaks into reality, comforting his suffering people.  What am I waiting for as I anticipate 2024?  As we set aside a time to reflect on 2023 tonight, let us try to identify the hand of God comforting us. When all the events of the world surrounding Simeon were confusing, Simeon looked and listened.  God has been involved with ordinary people like Simeon and us today.  We call it inspiration.  There are those “aha” moments when we wrestled with the direction of life and suddenly the “light dawned,” as we say, and we knew in our gut which way to go.  God speaks through nature, through music, through friends, through Scripture and through experience as he journeys with us.  He speaks into our reality as we wait.  God wants to comfort us today.  Simeon saw through God’s eyes a babe that would bring salvation, light, and glory to God.  We can ask ourselves tonight where we saw God fulfilling his promises this past year.

Anna

³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

         Let us not forget Anna, a widow of many years, perhaps as much as sixty, who also was an ordinary person, and came to the Temple that day.  She has a sad story of widowhood at a young age.  She could certainly see herself as the victim of a cruel past. But she steps into our text today not as bitter and cynical but praising.  Her waiting for God’s consolation is not passive, victim mentality that sees her life as the result of some disengaged God but she waits for God’s consolation actively. 

         Anna had committed her time to prayer and fasting. She has spent many years waiting for an answer!  We have trouble waiting through commercials.  We now have instacart so we do not need to leave our TV to go get a snack but can have it delivered to our door.  Prayer and fasting are not passively waiting but active waiting. 

         A deep skepticism seems to have settled on us these days, I believe.  So many experts with so many opinions, it is easy to turn off and tune out.  What will be, will be, “que sera.”  Let us take a moment and reflect on our spiritual disciplines that help us actively listen for God’s voice for comfort. Spiritual disciplines often involve habits of reading Scripture, journaling, prayer, fasting, meditation, fellowship and even stewardship.  We may be willing to receive a revelation but is our cell phone charged, our antenna connected?  Anna was an ordinary person like us, listening and investing energy in her relationship with God through prayer and fasting.  How are we investing as we wait?

Amazement

         Joseph and Mary were amazed.  As we come to the end of this year and look back to our past and forward to our future, what will amaze us about our present?  The song “Auld Lang Syne” helps us think about the giftedness of today.

         Verse one reminds us to remember the friends who have blessed this last year in our lives and who will walk into the future with us.  As we reflect, may we not only remember old friends but a God who has walked with us and blessed us this past year.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

Chorus
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

         Verse two encourages us to share fellowship with those friends. May we thank God for the gift of prayer that also allows us to “share a cup” with him at any time.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Verse three encourages us to remember the good times we had with those friends.  May we not be victims of our bad times but people who survived because of God’s presence.

We two have run about the hills,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

         Verse 4 encourages us not to forget friends even though we are divided by miles.  May we not become discouraged and dispair because we do not see God but may we see his love in life around us.

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

         Verse 5 celebrates the trustworthiness of friends.  As we look back at 2023 we see God’s faithfulness that we can trust will go with us into 2024.  That blesses my life with hope that I am not alone.  I do have a friend!

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

Our text ends.

         “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of     many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

The Christ child revealed “the inner thoughts of many” and still challenges me today. Waiting reveals if I listen with human ears or spiritual ears.  Waiting calls me to faith in a mysterious God who is acting in history – yours and mine, past-present-future. God acts for salvation.  God sheds light.  And the story when finished will glorify God.

         Waiting is not just about waiting for a happy-ever-after ending and often acts as “a sword that pierces our soul.”  We are afraid to hear we will die. Yes, I want to go to heaven.  Yes, I want the Romans conquered.  Yes, I want the Messiah to come but recognizing what that looks like is difficult.  My inner thoughts and desires are revealed and I am challenged to trust God.

         Like Anna, may we praise and speak to others as we wait and see God’s hand at work.  Anna could not be quiet when she met the Christ child in the temple.  Her prayers and fasting had been answered! Anna sees the bigger picture, not the baby from God but the God in the baby.  Anna bursts into praise.  God is not defeated by Rome.  God is not defeated by poverty.  God is not defeated by our lack of understanding.  God is active in our world today and THAT, my dear friends, is grounds for praise and sharing.  May we see with the eyes of our hearts this week and may we find time to practice spiritual disciplines and listen to a God who reveals to ordinary people like us, his mysterious love.

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

¹Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”
 ⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Psalm: Luke 1:46b-55

You, Lord, have lifted up the lowly. (Lk. 1:52)

 ^46bMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
  ⁴⁷my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 ⁴⁸for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
  From this day all generations will call me blessed:
 ⁴⁹you, the Almighty, have done great things for me
  and holy is your name.
 ⁵⁰You have mercy on those who fear you,
  from generation to generation. 
 ⁵¹You have shown strength with your arm
  and scattered the proud in their conceit,
 ⁵²casting down the mighty from their thrones
  and lifting up the lowly.
 ⁵³You have filled the hungry with good things
  and sent the rich away empty.
 ⁵⁴You have come to the aid of your servant Israel,
  to remember the promise of mercy,
 ⁵⁵the promise made to our forebears,
  to Abraham and his children forever.

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27

²⁵Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:

After a mother duck hatched her eggs, one of the ducklings was different.  He was grey and big, not yellow and cute like the other chicks.  They called him the ugly duckling.  He was teased and rejected by his nest mates. He finally fled the barnyard.  One day the ugly duckling saw a flock of migrating wild swans. They were so beautiful and graceful. He was delighted and excited but could not join them because he was too young, ugly, and unable to fly. When winter arrived, a farmer found him and carried the freezing duckling home and cared for him.  In the spring, the duckling, now having fully grown and matured, again saw the flock of swans.  He was shocked when the swans welcomed and accepted him. He realized when he saw his reflection in the water that he had not been a duckling but a swan all this time. The flock took to the air, and he spread his wings to take flight with the rest of his new family.

Can you think of a time when you realized that by standing up for your Christian beliefs you would be different from others?

Let us pray.  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

         SERMON

         Today is Advent 4.  In fact today is Christmas Eve.  We have been preparing all month for the arrival of tomorrow, Christmas Day.  Advent 1 we celebrated HOPE as John the Baptist arrived on the world scene and announced that it was time for prophecy to be fulfilled.  God keeps his promises.  There is hope for the future.  Advent 2 we celebrated PEACE as John the Baptist challenged us to confess and repent to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the Messiah who would show us the way of true peace.  Advent 3 we celebrated JOY as John the Baptist challenged us to claim our identity in Christ and become more than we are now.  Today, Advent 4 we celebrate LOVE.  Our text takes us to Mary’s encounter with the angel when her pregnancy was first announced.  Mary, a young, unwed mother is to carry God’s baby.  We are challenged today to see how love works it’s transformation in Mary as she grapples with the angel’s message and all its implications.  Becoming pregnant outside marriage could lead to being stoned.  How would her family, her pledged husband and her community respond?  The angel must have been fearful and his message was even more fearful.  Not only was the scene scary, the message spoke of a God who does the impossible.  How can it be that a virgin becomes pregnant by God?  Mary has to live outside the box of her reality.  And thirdly who will ever believe her.  She will be like that ugly duckling living in a chicken coup.  Let’s ponder how these three glaring challenges are transformed by love.

Love Transforms fear

1 John 4:19 says “We love because he first loved us.”

²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

         Mary is confronted with an angelic visitation.  The Old Testament encounters between prophets and angels resulted in people falling on their face, weak and wobbly knees, speechless, and full of disbelief.  Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, a priest had become dumb when he questioned the angel.  Mary wasn’t a priest, just an ordinary teenage girl.  The text says she was “much perplexed.”  I think we would translate it “terrified.”  Encounters with alien beings are not stories Hollywood puts into many romantic scenes.  Alright, It’s a Wonderful Life had the angel Clarence as angel second class who hadn’t earned his wings.  George Bailey was not believing him either but did become famous. Mary, though, is approached by the angel Gabriel.

         Could we please note the opening of our text, the order of events.  The angel comes to Mary.  God initiates this encounter by sending Gabriel.  It is easy for the evil one to whisper in our ear that God is not answering our prayers because we have done something wrong or because we are not good enough. Gabriel comes to Mary, not Mary praying hard and working hard to deserve an angelic encounter.  God is not motivated by our goodness but he has a plan to redeem a creation he loves.  Love steps into fear and transforms it.

         The angel responds to Mary’s great perpexity with words of comfort, “Do not be afraid.”  Gabriel continues telling Mary that God has been seeing her, favors her, and she is chosen for the task.  He tells what her son’s life will be like, his resume so to speak.  Perhaps you can identify with being given a task that you felt totally unqualified for, a task far beyond your imagination.  I remember some of the thoughts before my first son was born.  I pondered if I had unwittingly harmed the baby before I knew I was pregnant by eating something wrong.  I wondered if I would be a good mother.  I knew my husband and I were headed to Africa but that was only a word to me.  It was a vast unknown.  I thought the plain he talked about was the airplane we would fly on.  That may not be your challenge with the impossible task facing you but perhaps you have been very hesitant stepping into a new job, a new home, a new anything.  New phases in life are scary.  If an angel suddenly appeared and announced it, it would be doubly scary.  Hearing the wonderfulness of parenthood, new employment, any new prospect may take the edge off your fear but it still feels like being an ugly duckling that won’t quite fit it.  The love of God, reaching out to impact his world through you, is comforting and transforms the panic, the “much perpexity” into questions.  “How will I be able to do this?”

Love Transforms problems

Matthew 11:28-30 says,”‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

“How can this be…”

         Mary now speaks.  She has found her voice.  She does not argue with God like Zechariah who declares the task impossible.  He is too old and so is his wife.  She does not bargain with God like Moses did when he reminds God that he, Moses, is wanted for murder and his brother is a better speaker.  She does not ignor God as David did by taking Bathsheba and killing Uriah.  She does not raise excuses like Isaiah did when he realizes he was a man of unclean lips.  Mary simply states the obvious.  The divine and the ordinary are different beings and don’t procreate.  A dog does not mate a cat.  Some relationships are strictly forbidden in the Torah and so she asks, “How can this be?”  She is a virgin.  To become pregnant without a husband and sex is problematic.  Gabriel explains. 

         We do not understand the explanation.  But then, I do not understand how that catepillar becomes a beautiful butterfly in the cacoon.  I do not really understand how the sunrise can be so different every morning and different in so many colorful ways.  I sit in the airport and wonder how those two people ever got together.  Much of the “hows” of life we take on faith even if we are given an explanation.  It is enough that God knows and cares.  God’s love overshadows the events of our lives.

         Jesus says to his followers, ”‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  He does not invite us into a magical resolution of our problems so that we no longer have to go through it, he invites us to trust his love for us in all situations.  Whatever is going to happen to Mary will be overshadowed by God.  The ugly duckling is different and in many ways that is out of the duckling’s control.  The duckling only need be who he was created to be and time will reveal how the story ends.  We are not promised health, wealth and prosperity from God but we are reassured as we bring our problems to him that we are being carried in his love.  We can trust him for he overshadows us and leads us when we are in relationship with him.

Love Transforms community

John 14:18 sats, “¹⁸ ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”

³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son”

         In these brief verses Mary has made a journey from fear to faith because of God’s love. “³⁸Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’”  What sealed the deal?  Mary was rightfully scared.  Mary rightfully questioned how such a thing could happen.  But I would suggest there is a third element.  Gabriel adds another layer of God’s love.  Even as Moses had Aaron, even as David had his faithful prophet Nathan, and even as Elijah had Elisha, Gabriel tells Mary she is not alone. Her relative Elizabeth is also miraculously pregnant.  Mary will visit Elizabeth and find fellowship and understanding.

         There are others who are living the journey of stepping into the impossible because of the love of God.  Mary is not alone as she walks this path.  The ugly duckling looks up and sees a flock of beautiful swans fly overhead.  He feels hope.  We are not alone.  God has given us the church, the fellowship of believers to walk with us when times are challenging and we feel like that ugly duckling.  When we are called upon to trust God working in our lives in ways that make us feel like that ugly duckling, we are surrounded by the fellowship of believers.

           God does work outside the boxes of how our traditions, our expectations, and our wants dictate to our lives.  God allows challenges to enter our lives that feel impossible and terribly threatening.  It is then that we remind ourselves that God favors us, not the bad guys.  God believes in us even when we doubt ourselves.  We can have HOPE because of Christmas.  God comes to us, we do not need to become good enough to go up to him.  God is willing to explain to us the “hows” of our situation and meet with us in prayer.  He is not sitting off in the heavenlies seeing if we pass some cosmic test of faith but the Holy Spirit walks with us, guides us and shows us the way – even during the dark night of the soul.  We can trust him with what we do not understand.  We can be at PEACE knowing that God is in control even when we feel out of control and threatened.  On those days when we feel like the ugly duckling, we can have JOY.  Joy may be the bowing of our heads and humbly trusting God, “‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’”  Joy may be found in singing the Halleluya chorus on Christmas Day but it may also be found in the tears of knowing a loved one is now in God’s care.  The Christmas story is a story of LOVE.  It is the love of God who creates and redeems each one of us and places us in community to be the person he created us to be.  We are not all of us are eyes or ears. 

         Tonight we will come to the incarnation of Christ.  We will see God’s love transform a census into the birthplace of his son.  We will see God’s love do the impossible as a baby is born inspite of Herod’s fears, in a village with no place to stay, and be announced to shepherds on the fringes of society.  Tonight we will see God’s love become community as the wise men, the perhaps foreigners like us, be included in the event.  Tonight we will celebrate HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE.

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”