The Third Day of Christmas!

Merry third day of Christmas! I feel like I say it every Christmas and Eastertide, but the wonders of what we celebrate in these seasons are worth more than just one day. It takes 12 days to revel and rejoice in the wonder of the incarnation, the gift of Jesus! I hope you are able to take some time this week and next to continue on in reflecting and remembering the wonder of Immanuel. 

Of course, our everyday reality has a way of asserting itself in the midst of our celebrations. One of the gifts of the Christmastide season is that these twelve days include the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith, and the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which marks the massacre of children at the hand of King Herod when he sought to kill Jesus. The Feast of St. Stephen was yesterday and the Holy Innocents is tomorrow. These days are stark reminders that the incarnation took place in the midst of our broken world. As part of the Christmas season, these days remind us that Jesus, as the seed of New Creation, is taking root in the middle of strife and conflict, brokenness and evil. 

Reflecting on the incarnation, and how God took up residence among us, connects in my mind to the call we feel to the property at 5701 Cameron Rd. As a church we are called to take up residence in our city, beautiful and broken as it is, and put flesh to the good news of Jesus Christ and his coming kingdom. More than anything else about the new property and possibilities, I am excited for the ways it might allow us to do this more and more, to demonstrate and embody the Gospel among our neighbors in public ways. As we come to the end of this year, a year full of prayer, fasting, and conversation around this possibility, I am grateful to God for the provision of this opportunity for us! Praise be to God! I’m also grateful to each of you for your support and generosity related to this vision. Thank you! Remember that all year-end giving, to the property or otherwise, needs to be in by the 31st.

Celebrating Christmas with you! 

Peter+