Wise men from the east, wherever that is, came to visit Jerusalem because they knew that a baby, a new king of the Jews, had been born. Whatever humans might have expected about the birth of the Messiah, this wasn’t it.

For the fact that God has saved us, even from our own evil, we give thanks and praise. For the mothers and fathers of Bethlehem, weeping for their lost children, we remember and we pray. For the parents, children, and friends of those lost to stupid, senseless violence in our own time, we can yet preach peace and share the hope that we have because of Jesus.

In the birth of Jesus, God is doing a new thing. Never before in history has God become part of creation. Never before has God had a mother. Never before have people been able to talk with God face to face. This is unprecedented in the best way.

I wonder what people in our time see when they look at Jesus. Those of us who read through the gospels know the miracles, the sermons, and the mighty acts. Those who only know Jesus from popular culture, though, what is it that they see? What do they see when they look at us, God’s children?

It’s not Christmas yet, but these are presents we don’t have to wait for. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the days to come, all people will come to God’s house.

When Jesus sees people hungry, he feeds them. There were no qualifying questions before Jesus fed the crowds of thousands. There was no interrogation before he healed people. Jesus took care of them when they could not care for themselves. One of the particular gifts that God has given Zion is the gift of hospitality and feeding.

There you have it. If someone points you to God, they are worth listening to. If they point you only to themselves, they are probably not worth your time.

In this life, we need each other. We need structure and support for this greatest relationship of our lives. As we grow closer to God, we grow closer to that day when we will know God fully, even as God knows us.

The story of God’s love for all people is for every time and place. God’s endurance in the long, long battle against sin is the reason we have hope in tough situations. God’s victory over death changes how we see the present and the future. The holy word of God shows us how to follow God. It teaches us to love our neighbors and models how we repent and reconcile when things go awry.

And another thing!   Psalm 111:10  10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;   all who practice this have a good understanding. God’s praise endures forever.  It’s easy to overlook the psalms. On Sunday, they’re tucked in the middle of the readings. They’re poetry, but not like we usually get it. And when they’re out of historical context, they can be hard to follow. The psalms, when we spend time in them, are full of gems. The rhythms and reassurances cushion our s

The good news is that Jesus died for all of us. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, making sinners into saints. The good news is that God made this beautiful world and set us to take care of it. God trusts humankind with everything God has done. We have a huge responsibility.

We know that there is life eternal and God wants to spend it with us. That changes how we live. We consider our lives. We set our priorities. And we know, beyond a doubt, that God has made us to be loved. The best thing we can do is to love one another in return.

Because God has handled salvation for us, we do not need to live in guilt or fear. We know that our eternal home is determined by the judge who loved us enough to die for us. That is taken care of. Now, we get to live lives that share God’s love with people around us.

God grants us the freedom to repent. God loves us before and after. God empowers us to be merciful and to change in the ways that bring in the kingdom of God.

Jesus wants followers who will become disciples. The Way of Jesus is a life-long commitment. One could say that the commitments goes longer than life itself. Crowds are great for getting the word out, but dedicated people are the ones who will be the foundation of the church.

. . . be humble. Don’t insult people. This is wisdom from thousands of years ago that Jesus references. It is wisdom that is needed and useful in every group and team. And it’s part of how we live with one foot planted firmly in the kingdom of God.

Not all behaviors are helpful at all times, but all God’s children have a place in God’s house. Jesus gathers all the people together. The ones who need him most seem to flock to him. How blessed are we that, when we need Jesus, he sees us and lifts us up. How blessed are we to get to share that welcome with others.

We live in a culture where to be Christian is a mainstream thing to do. We don’t often have to be uncomfortable in order to follow our faith. That’s got a lot of positives to it, but it also leaves us with the question: What do we miss out on by not being uncomfortable?

Along with that, we believe that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life because we have faith in Jesus. We walk this life alongside Jesus and we see the ways our world is better because of it.