It occurs to me that, having just celebrated Christmas, I am privy to the same good news that the shepherds took to Mary and Joseph–Christ is born into the world. And, if I believe the adult Jesus, I know that Christ can come in every town and moment, “wherever two or three are gathered” or whenever we act unto the least of these.
Immanuel may be born in a baby; or in a mother struggling to calm her child on the bus; or in a colleague working silently at her desk. The shepherds remind me that for every person in whom Christ is born, there is a person who needs to hear a human neighbor affirm that this person’s life is good news, God with us, that it matters to the world.
This year, for the first time, I’m hearing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as a song about a place, much like my town, a place where God arrives and abides, day after day. I hope I will follow the shepherds’ lead, take notice, and show up for my neighbors.
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Emma Crossen. Read it here. Today is the first Sunday of Christmas.
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