Christmas Day, by the Rev. Kaji Douša

Christmas is coming and we couldn’t be more excited! After a beautiful week of our first Jazz Vespers service led by Charles Anthony Bryant and Sunday’s memorial for Estella Pate & Joyce Clevinger, my heart is full. Brittany Brathwaite gave us a beautiful retelling of the nativity that I hope you didn’t miss on Sunday.This week, we are wrapping up preparations for Christmas Sunday, when we will worship at 11 am. We can’t wait to see you!

Finally, just a reminder that we will worship exclusively online for New Year’s Day, January 1. We’ll be back in the sanctuary for our celebration of the Epiphany on January 8.

I pray for all of you in this season of anticipation and growth.

Merry (almost) Christmas,

Pastor Kaji

Isaiah 9:1 (German Translated); Isaiah 9:2-7 (Year A, pg. 100-101):

“In der letzten Zeit wird er den Weg des Meeres herrlich machen, das Land jenseits des Jordan, das Galiläa der Nationen.”

“In the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

² The people—women, children, and men—who walked bleakness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in the land of the shadow of death—
on them light has shined.
³ You have multiplied the nation,
you have magnified its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people—women, children, and men—exult when dividing plunder.
⁴ For the yoke of their burden,
and the staff on their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For all the boots of the trampling warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and his name shall be called:
A Wonder, a Counselor, a Mighty God,
Perpetual Parent, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be peace without end
for the throne of David and his monarchy.
God will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of God, COMMANDER of heaven’s vanguard, will do this.

Luke 2:1-20 (Year A, p. 64-65):

¹ Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered (for taxation). ² This was the first registration and occurred while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ So all went to be registered; each to their own towns. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth in to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, for he was from the house and heritage of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was betrothed and who was pregnant. ⁶ So it was, that, while they were there, the time came for her to birth her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and swaddled him, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
⁸ Shepherds were in that region there staying in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Most High God came upon them, and the glory of the Living God shone around them, and they were greatly terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Fear not. Look! For I proclaim to you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ For there is born to you this day a Savior who is the Messiah, the Sovereign God, in the city of David. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby swaddled and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And immediately there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly array, praising God and saying,
¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among peoples whom God favors!”
¹⁵ And it happened when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to be, which the Sovereign God has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷ Now seeing this, they made known what had been spoken to them about this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard marveled at what was spoken by the shepherds to them. ¹⁹ But Mary preserved all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was just as it had been told them.

John 1:1-14 (Year A, p. 74):

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The Word was with God in the beginning. ³ Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word not one thing came into being that came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in the Word was life, and that life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the bleakness, and the bleakness did not overtake it.
⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was created through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ To his own he came and his own did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did accept him, who believed in his name, he empowered to become children of God—¹³ that is, those who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of a human person, but of God.
¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of a parent’s only child, full of grace and truth.