These lesser known parts of the Christmas story in Matthew 2 remind us that the Christmas story is our human story, with all the joy and tragedy human life can hold. They remind us God came to save this actual world with real imperfect people #jesus #christian #christmas #hope #faith

In looking at Matthew 2, we realize the Christmas story isn’t about one note joy, it’s the story of resistance, of light shining even in the midst of darkness #jesus #christmas #emmanuel #hope #christian

In Matthew 25, Jesus says whatever is done to the least of these who are members of his family is done to him. We are judged by how we treat other #jesus #love #christmas #service #christian

In Matthew 2, the holy family are refugees, fleeing polticial violence and seeking asylum in Egypt. How do we treat people today who experience what Jesus experienced? In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that whatever is done to the least of these is done to Christ himself #jesus #service #christmas

In Matthew 2, our God in Jesus Christ is forced to flee political violence to seek asylum in a foreign land. If our God has experienced those things, what does that say about how we Christians should treat people today in the same position as Christ was in? #jesus #christian #refugee #christmas

In Matthew 2, Jesus is identified strongly with the history of the Israelites, who are a nation of freed slaves. There a big ethical implications to this; it’s why the Israelites are commanded to welcome the stranger and resident alien, because they’d once been slaves and strangers in a strange land

In Matthew 2, Jesus shows solidarity with humanity and the Israelites of the past. He flees to Egypt for safety, and then starts anew in the promised land. Jesus experiences what it’s like to flee political violence and seek asylum in a foreign land. This has big ethical implications #jesus #refugee

In Matthew 2 Herod kills all the young children in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus. Martin Luther preached on this story and talked about the loss parents must have felt #jesus #martinluther #christian #holyinnocents #church

In Matthew 2, a direct comparison is made between Herod and the Pharaoh of the Exodus. And tyrants like Pharaoh and Herod are alive and well in our world today #christian #leadership #church #justice #unitedchurchofchrist

In Matthew 2, Herod orders the slaughter of the children in and around Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus, the one born king of the Jews. Herod’s murder of these children isn’t recorded outside of the gospels, but we have record of lots of other terrible things #jesus #christmas

The #sunset on Monday was beautiful

In “A Wrinkle in Time” the characters discover the good news that Jesus came to fight the powers of darkness and evil. And the good news of the Christmas is the miracle of the incarnation, that God shows up to be our light in the midst of the darkness #jesus #christmas #awrinkleintime #incarnation

December 28th is the feast of Holy Innocents. What can the slaughter of the innocents and the flight to Egypt tell us about the meaning of Christmas and the incarnation? #christmas #holyinnocents #jesus #incarnation #hope

The green covered in #snow

A beautiful snowy third day of #Christmas here on the Green #snow #middleburyct

John 1 says Jesus gives us power to become children of God. On Christmas we celebrate that through the work of Christ we are all part of God’s big and perfectly imperfect family #family #jesus #christmas #christian #love

On Christmas we celebrate that the love of God was so strong, God was born a human being to share our common lot. And it’s God’s love that makes every sort of family possible and unites us into God’s family #family #christmas #christian #love #unitedchurchofchrist

Look at that love #cats

It’s a snowy second day of #christmas

Jesus’ family doesn’t look like so called perfect families, and it’s okay if our families don’t look like that. Jesus adopts us into God’s family, the church, and God’s family is big, complicated, diverse, and united together in Christ #family #christmas #jesus #church #love

Joseph adopts Jesus as his son and draws the circle of family wilder tha peoke he’s just related to by blood. It’s people like Joseph, parents, mentors, and people who are like parents to us, who help make us who we are. We need the Josephs of the world #jesus #christmas #family #christian

A #Christmas blessing from the end of our #christmaseve worship #jesus #hope #ove

Merry Christmas! #christmas

The characters in “A Wrinkle in Time” fight the darkness of evil through the light of Christ. In our world Christ too shines into those dark places to drive out sin and evil, and through the miracle of the incarnation, he knits humanity and God together #christmas #incarnation #awrinkleintime #hope

Scenes from 10pm #christmaseve

Jesus’ ancestors and the Holy Family don’t look like the perfect family in a Norman Rockwell painting, and it’s okay if our families don’t look like that either #jesus #family #christmas #christian #churc

5pm service!

Joseph shows us true righteousness means interpreting the law with the mercy God shows throughout scripture #christmas #advent #jesus #christian #faith

Don’t let this darkness fool you. The light of Christ is always shining in the darkness and cannot be put out #noahkahan #christian #christmas #hope #jesus

It’s a foggy night here on the green

Mary is discovered to be pregnant while she and Joseph are engaged but not living together. Marriage worked differently in this time period, and engagement was very serious #christmas #advent #marriage #jesus #christian

Christ came to be a light to us as we stumble along in the darkness of this imperfect world #christmas #advent #jesus #christian #hope

🎶I’m dreaming of a white Christmas 🎶

The 4 women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy (in addition to Mary) are all a bit scandalous. And they show us that God works through imperfect and messy families to bring about our salvation. And if Jesus’ family isn’t perfect, it’s okay ours isn’t either #family #advent #jesus #christian #faith

The Advent and Christmas seasons can be a hard time for many people as the world is filled with celebration yet we’re experiencing loss or hardship. The good news of Christmas is Christ came to be a light to shine in the midst of all the darkness we experience #christmas #jesus #noahkahan

From a Martin Luther epiphany sermon

A few scene from after Longest Night worship on Sunday

Jesus’ family tree and immediate family show us that God’s idea of family is so much bigger and more expansive than “perfect” families we compare ourselves to #christian #christmas #advent #family #hope

The late winter light in the meetinghouse #middleburyct

The #sunset on Saturday was lovely

Starvation- a still life art installation featuring Magik the cat #cats