Hi everyone,

You might have noticed how different the title to this post is as compared to all the other “From the Desktop” posts that I’ve done over the past 6 or 7 years (or more). In light of recent events (like yesterday, recent… also the reason why this post is coming so late), I decided to put all of the Christmas texts (so Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the 1st Sunday of Christmas) together in one post. Normally I just skip the Christmas Eve and Day texts, but I guess I felt moved to share the whole story.

What happened was that one of my wife’s baking colleagues decided to give us a tour of the gingerbread house display at a hotel in downtown Vancouver. I remember going years ago when we only had one kid. We wandered in, and wandered out. We were impressed, sure, but I guess we were at a stage of life that we just wanted to get it over with. And this is before my wife started baking as much as she did and engineering confections to do seemingly impossible things. So I guess our “care” level was at a minimum.

But this trip? It was different because my wife has been baking for some time now, doing those impossible things. And her friend? My goodness he had passion about what he does. He had an entry to the display, and apparently it’s a contest as he won second place in the professional category. And he knew everything about everyone’s creations. So much so that I truly believe that we could have been there for much longer than the hour and half that it took for him to explain the 2 dozen or so gingerbread houses.

And his passion… he may have cried for how excited he was. And I’m not poking fun at all, because that passion was infectious. His care and interest and excitement over every little detail… well it made me care about it too. If you ever the chance to check this thing out, you have to hurry because I think they’re taking it down in a week, but let me know as I’d love to tell you all about what I learned from this… how shall I say… herald of these works of art.

Here are the readings for the next 3 services:
Christmas Eve:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
And the video of them being read (i’ll just leave a link to save on this page’s load time)

Christmas Day:
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-4
John 1:1-14
And their video

1st Sunday of Christmas:
Isaiah 63:7-9
Psalm 148
Hebrews 2:10-18
Matthew 2:13-23
And their video

Oof, that was a lot of readings and links. Now that I think about it, including them all might have just precluded any of you to read or even watch the videos. But the thing is, and the reason why I wanted to include them all, that they are all one story. It’s not every year that we hear about Jesus’ birth or entering into our world from 3 very different perspectives, 3 different emphases, 3 different passions around why this story needs to be told.

From Jesus’ humble beginnings being borne to young and inexperienced parents but receiving high honour and praise from strangers; to the majesty of Christ with God creating all that is, was, and ever will be; to Jesus being hunted by evil and displaced again and again… this is the one who is save us all? This is the one through whom we can most clearly see God? This is the one who is to come, whose light the darkness cannot overtake?

Well, yes. And it’s a story worth sharing. Not because of its mystical nature. Not because it’s just an interesting story. Not even because it’s part of our faith. But because it, quite frankly, our story.

While we don’t share the same experience of being born in a barn, we know what it’s like to be outcasted. While we didn’t create the world, we know what it’s like to not be recognised for who we are and what we can do. While we might not have been run out of our home towns and countries (or maybe we have), we know what it’s like to feel displaced and without a place to call home.

And when we see that Jesus has gone through things that we go through, has probably felt things that we’ve felt, has been places where we’ve been, then we can see God. In Jesus. Throughout history. With us.

And that is something I think we can get excited about.

Thanks be to God! Have a blessed and merry Christmas season, everyone!