The Gospel Reading is Luke 2:1-20.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie Elf is when Buddy the Elf is talking to his elf-dad while fixing Santa’s sleigh. Buddy is appalled that some people do not believe in Santa Claus. One of the questions he asks pertains to cookies: “I guess . . .parents then eat all those cookies?”
This is the season to eat all those cookies.
There’s something joyful about Christmas Day falling on a Sunday. The church gathers together on every Sunday to remember, proclaim, and celebrate the entirety of Jesus’ story. We share God’s Son through worship, song, and communion. We also share our story as people living in the light of his resurrection. Each Sunday is a day to celebrate Jesus. And Christmas Day is a day to remember God entering the world and spending God’s first moments wrapped in blankets and resting in a feeding trough.
We don’t always get to decide what moments come into lives. But we do have a God who promises to be in those moments with us. God didn’t need to be born as a child. God didn’t need to spend that first night in a manger. But God decided to have parents. God decided to grow up like we do. And God went on a journey that did not escape death. God goes where we go. Christmas Day isn’t the start of God’s presence in creation; God has never been far from what God loves and made. But Christmas is the moment when God took a chance to be one of us because we are worth the love only God can give. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and many blessings (cookies and other treats) in the New Year.
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 12/25/2016.