Tag: Christmas

January 2020

On: By: Rev. G. Michael Rose

“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; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.’” Luke 2:10-11


Dear Redeemer Family:
Though Christmas is a season, the majority of people think of it as only a day, or at most two days; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And most people will only think of the Gospel lesson from Luke 2 with its proliferating images of the nativity, which is important. But, it is just as important to make sure that the deep spiritual and theological truth of the incarnation – the Word dwelling among us here and now – is held up as well throughout the years.


If we dwell only on the images of Luke 2, without making connections to what the Incarnation means for daily life, we will miss out on one of the great spiritual truths of our faith – that all creation and all of our lives are filled with divine presence. Some theologians call this “deep incarnation,” which broadens the scope of the term beyond Jesus to all persons and, indeed, to the vast expanse of the universe. This is found in the Gospel lesson of Christmas Day, and this year, for the Second Sunday in Christmas; the First Chapter of John’s Gospel: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus, the Author of Creation comes and dwells among us, still!


In other words, let us consider what becomes incarnate at Christmas. Surely, with all our senses we experience the divine presence in the liturgy and especially in the body and blood of Christ received at the altar. For us, the incarnation is not a past event but something happening in our midst. As with the Season of Advent, we are called to continually “awake” and see the salvation at hand.


The mystery never ceases to surprise and catch us off guard; in manger and on the cross, God’s hidden and vulnerable presence is revealed to us, as Martin Luther reminds us in virtually all of his writings. In the Incarnation, we have very concrete examples in which justice, love, joy, and freedom are revealed in the very human circumstances of daily life.
Let us always welcome the Christ Child. And let us always welcome the Word of God Who comes and lives among us! May you all have a very joyous, and spiritual, Christmas Season. And may He for Whom we have waited always live and dwell in our hearts!

In Christ,
Pastor Rose

December 2019

On: By: Rev. G. Michael Rose

Dear Redeemer Family:
Advent, preachers love Advent. Preparations for Christmas often stir up a combination of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement. The fact that the days are becoming colder and darker in many places brings other connections. Yet, Advent is the season that most honestly names and acknowledges our human condition of longing, waiting, and restlessness. Advent is usually seen in relation to Christmas, and though it is the time of year when listeners face the most distractions due to the many things on their minds and hearts, preachers have the unique role of being spiritual guides, providing time and space for reflection on key spiritual themes.

The lessons of the season can easily lead us into two traps: one in the past and one in the future. The prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures can cause us to pretend that we are waiting for Jesus to be born as he was two thousand years ago. Some of the apocalyptic lessons can propel us into a distant future, wondering if and when Christ will come again to bring justice and peace to our earth. Though in many ways we are still waiting for the Messiah to come (again), and we need to have a healthy trust in God’s promised future, we are actually invited to wake up to Christ’s presence among us here and now. In the Sunday worship services, we learn to recognize the Lord’s coming week after week, but from there we go to behold anew this Advent coming in the events of everyday life – whether in the news or in our personal circumstances; whether frightening, confusing or even mundane.

The human theme of longing resonates with all of us to some extent. We are always wishing we could delay aging, go back to a certain time in our lives and relive it, or live in an unrealistic ideal situation. In most cases, we fail to embrace fully the present and what is.

Advent puts before us this great mystery: we wait for what we already have. The message of the Gospel serves as a spiritual director, in a sense, inviting hearers to behold anew Christ coming again and again, Sunday after Sunday, day after day, not only in Word and meal, but in the sacramentality of everyday life, day after every single day yet to come. He who was, who is, who is yet to come!
In Christ, Pastor Rose