The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Christmas is here! Today we celebrate Jesus’ birth. The Bible tells about Jesus’ birth from several different angles. Matthew’s Gospel tells of Mary and Joseph, the promise of the Virgin birth, the visit of the Wise Men and the terror of King Herod. Luke’s Gospel, which you likely heard last night, tells of the census, Bethlehem, the shepherds, the angels, and Jesus laid in the manger. The Gospel of John also tells the Christmas story, but in a very different way. He focuses not so much on the human participants and the locations, as on the grand themes of what God was at work doing, and the coming of Jesus into the world. John 1 is the Christmas’ story told from God’s perspective, showing Jesus’ relationship to God and His incarnation, His coming into human flesh right here in the world. All this unfolded in the midst of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men’s lives, but John tells how it fits in the grand scheme...

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. What does “Emmanuel” mean? It’s the name of our church, and the title given to Christ in our Gospel reading. It means “God with us.” But in what sense? God with us could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. People are often quite content to speak about God being with them in the beauty of nature, in the whisper of the breeze, or in the bliss of a memorable moment. But is that what “Emmanuel” means in the Bible? Far from it. While we might be able to admire the beauty of God’s handiwork in nature, or sense peace or joy from certain restful or happy moments, that fleeting experience is not what God’s presence means. Neither is this the presence of the God who speaks to us. So where do we find the God who speaks to us? Or what happens when we are faced with the ugliness or brutality of life, in the cancer ward, or in the dangerous part of town? What about when sorrow wrenches all our joy and ...

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Christmas is nearly here, and we’re in the last week of preparation—the last week of Advent, awaiting Jesus’ coming. As you hear the Christmas story read this Sunday from the Gospel of Matthew, how does it strike you? Is it the first time you’ve heard it? The 21st or 51st? Have you lost track of how many times you’ve heard the story, or is it still fresh and new to you at each hearing? Does the world of the first Christmas seem so tranquil, perfect, and far away that it doesn’t relate to your celebration of this years’ Christmas? Or is the story alive and real to you today? Perhaps for some, the world of the first Christmas seems almost like a sleepy village in one of those snow-globes. The quiet, little town of Bethlehem, shrouded in mystery and holy glow, thousands of years distant in a faraway land. The story evokes memories of childhood and stirs warm emotions, but it’s closed off b...