Whether you’ve been raised in the church or not, we all know the centrality of Jesus to the Christmas story. While Jesus is certainly the “reason for the season,” the stories surrounding His birth include a variety of other perspectives. The bible sees Christmas as the historical culmination of God’s grand story of redemption, and when the Gospel authors tell that story, they want their readers to see it through the eyes of those involved. During this Advent season, we will spend our Sunday gatherings exploring the characters of Christmas, and how their perspectives might speak to us as we approach Christmas this year. We’ll explore Matthew’s genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17), a reminder that Christmas is the culmination of God’s faithfulness through millennia; we’ll see the tale through Zechariah’s eyes (Luke 1:5-25, 57-66), reminded of the importance of believing the promises of God, even when they sound impossible; we’ll hear of the quiet, simple trust of Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25); we’ll explore the liberating nature of God’s care for the lowly from Mary’s eyes (Luke 1:26-56); and then we’ll unpack the importance of the birth of Christ for all of us, from our own perspectives, on Christmas together!
Watch as Gayle Parker explores the story of Mary, and how God works in the most unexpected places.
Sermon Resources:
1. Image and passage from "The Gospels," interpreted by Joel School-Tanis
2. There are two different words in Greek for “blessed.” The first one is "eulogemene." It is used when Elizabeth says that Mary is blessed among women” and “blessed is the fruit of your womb .” This means that people will talk about Mary and her baby, not in the whispers of gossip, but with reverence and praise. Luke is telling us from the beginning that the story of Jesus is not going to follow the rules about who is important and who is not. The second word is "makaria." Elizabeth used that word when she says “Makaria/blessed is she who believed.” This word is the same word that is used when Jesus preaches, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” This blessing is not a promise that we will be rescued from hard times, saved from suffering, or have every bad thing turn good. Instead, the blessing is the joy that fills us when we open ourselves to the reality of God’s love, God’s promises, and God’s presence that is with us no matter what we face. The story of Jesus is not going to follow our expectations of what victory, or salvation, or “good news” might mean. Luke’s gospel is not like the stories that we are used to. Luke is telling us to listen to voices we’re used to ignoring and to revere and praise voices we thought were all wrong. Luke is telling us to consider that the world’s blessings may look like curses and kings may look like they need a diaper change. - Kate Kooyman
