Emmanuel With Us: Sacred Doing Amid Suffering

That's the last time that we gathered in this sanctuary. We gathered to celebrate the arrival of the baby. And today well I feel like I should have given you more warning that this was coming because today we hear about a madman king ordering the slaughter of all infants aged two and under anywhere in his kingdom. Not exactly the pick-me-up gospel we were hoping for right after Christmas. [00:37:35] (36 seconds)  #AfterChristmasReality

I think that just hoping that Christmas Eve and the celebrations that we had with our families throughout the Christmas season hoping that they would solve all of the problems in the world in just one fell swoop I think that's a little bit misguided. So the biblical story we hear today although it is abrupt and it is jarring and it is horrifying it is actually oddly familiar. [00:38:46] (28 seconds)  #ChristmasIsComplex

I think this reading corresponds with the world in which we live a lot more closely than other parts of the biblical narrative because here we stand at the beginning of a brand new year after a year that was certainly filled with joy and hope but was also filled with dark and difficult times here we stand on the front porch of a brand new year after one that was certainly filled with grace and love but also filled with unrest division and tension and we can't just say we can't just say oh well thank goodness that's behind us thank goodness 2025 is over and we don't have to deal with any of the things that 2025 brought with us we can't just do that and forget that it all happened we carry it with us into the new year and I guess that makes this reading rather timely [00:39:14] (55 seconds)  #CarryItIntoNewYear

nothing happens to Jesus and by extension nothing happens to us that cannot be redeemed and even used by God God is with us even in the darkest times and God is also for us promising not only to accompany us through the difficult times but also to bring us to the other side [00:47:01] (22 seconds)  #NothingBeyondRedemption

are loved and the whole of creation is sacred that's the takeaway from this that's what we do with all of this we are sacred God walks with us through pain and through suffering through everything that life has to throw at us that's the point of the Christmas story in the first moments of a brand new year how do we process all of this knowing that nothing we do will end all of the suffering that we see in the world nothing that we do will end all of the suffering in the world if God's love didn't end all of the suffering in the world then certainly nothing we can do can end it all in one place so what happens now sacred doing [00:47:49] (53 seconds)  #SacredDoingNow

Jesus was a threat to Herod Herod was a king and here these wise men come in and they say hey we saw this star and the star told us that a king is born well if I was a king and there was a new king that was born that would be a threat [00:49:46] (22 seconds)  #JesusThreatToPower

I hope that Jesus is still a threat to the worship of our comfort I hope that Jesus is a threat to the worship of our comfort I hope that Jesus is a threat to the way that we've always seen people I hope that Jesus is a threat to the maybe outdated ideas that we have about people [00:50:24] (28 seconds)  #JesusThreatToComfort

two thousand years ago then surely God is willing to walk with us today so friends may you feel the presence of God no matter where you find yourself in life right now may you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God walks with you and God is for you may you alleviate at least some of the suffering you see in the world in God's name may Jesus be a threat to you [00:53:56] (39 seconds)  #GodWalksWithUsToday