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Merry Christmas-bonus episode · Infinitely Precious

• 0:00
  James: For the gift you already are. Merry Christmas, beloved. I'm so glad I can be with you today. If you're watching on Christmas, I don't know what your day's been like so far, what part of the day this is coming in. Maybe you're just getting up, which means this is, this is fresh in the morning, or perhaps you're seeing it later in the day or listening to it later in the day.
• 0:27
  One of the ways I try to help remember that Christmas, is something more than just what might be under a tree or other things like that is to remember perhaps a spiritual, way of seeing the day. And as such, I thought that today I might read to you once again from Luke chapter 2, the story of the birth of Jesus as Luke chooses to tell it, and then maybe give you a couple of, give us a couple of questions to reflect together about it. So here is Luke chapter 2. Listen, and perhaps you'll hear something in it that catches your fancy, speaks to you from spirit. In those days, a decree went out from emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.
• 1:34
  This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
• 2:10
  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region, there were shepherds living in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid. For see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.
• 2:46
  To you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the lord has made known to us.
• 3:31
  And so they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told to them. That familiar story of the birth of a baby.
• 4:22
  During the time when the Roman Empire included, the region of, what we might think of as Palestine and Israel today. The questions that arise for me in this text is, what is being born in you and me today? In what way is Christ coming into our lives, being born in us, afresh, anew. In what ways is spirit inviting us to give birth to some new things, some new way of being, some new engaged sense of loving in this world. It's, it's a beautiful day to ponder this gift that is God with us.
• 5:42
  And it's not a gift that just existed 2000 years ago. It existed before that, and the gift exists to this very day. God with us. And so what are you giving birth to? What is spirit doing in you and how will that come to be?
• 6:06
  I thought it was certainly something worth pondering on this Christmas day. And so I encourage you, perhaps, to ponder that same thing. What is spirit working inside of you? Can you say yes? And can you be about that thing?
• 6:26
  So until the next time, I wish you the very best and invite you to remember, among other things, you are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved as the gift you already are.