Christmas Eve worship.

I wonder if we might leave this night, allowing our words and our actions to be the good news of great joy for all the people. That’s what the birth of Jesus means. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! The birth of Jesus reminds us that we are invited to celebrate Christmas with hope and joy, because in the midst of all the grief, uncertainty, loneliness, loss, struggling, pain, and death – God is with us. Emmanuel, God with us! This is what we’ve been waiting for. Our Advent waiting has led us to this moment. So pay close attention to this amazing thing that has happened, because the Christmas story doesn’t end with the birth of Jesus. That’s only where it began. This is the beginning of your story and my story. This thing that has happened is calling and asking something of you and me. Because it’s not simply a story to tell, it’s a story to live. So perhaps after we’ve lingered in the presence of this amazing child a bit longer, I wonder if we might leave this night, running from the manger to live this incredible story to its fullest – allowing our words and our actions to be the good news of great joy for all the people. That’s what the birth of Jesus means. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!