January 4, 2026: Resolve to Re-solve

Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 60: 1-6 (pg 639)
The Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12 (pg 835)          

Each year we revisit the story of the birth of Christ as a celebration of God incarnate on earth, but also as an opportunity to consider our own connections to God: to consider the old story and to connect it to today. And, as history has a way of repeating itself, we can always find connections and messages in the story of our living God. 

Let’s consider some context. In our reading from Isaiah, the Jewish people have been exiled, they are refugees, homeless after Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE. Yet God is telling them through Isaiah almost 50 years later that they are being called home “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”.  Instead of suffering in exile, “the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you”. They were given the gift of hope and even told that foreigners would bring gold and frankincense.

Sound familiar?

Almost 600 years later, the Magi, these foreigners, rich Persian politicians, scholars and religious leaders, followed the star to Jesus bearing expensive gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They had heard of the prophecy of this new king from the prophet Daniel and the scriptures of Isaiah. They had hope for new possibilities with a Godly king who would bring peace. They went to King Herod, as the ruler there, asking for directions to the new king, but they probably did not know all that Herod was up to at the time. 

King Herod of Judea, known as Herod the Great, was a client king of Rome who ruled for 33 years. He built fortification walls, palaces, and fortresses all over the territory he ruled including not only Jerusalem but Jericho, Hebron and Caesaria Maritima. He built theaters and amphitheaters and the palace at Herodium that he elaborately decorated. 

But Herod was also paranoid of losing his power and thus had first his wife Mariamne and later three of his sons killed for fear that they were conspiring against him. He ruthlessly and vengefully went after any who opposed him.

Yet this was the person the Magi came to ask for directions to the new king. You can imagine Herod’s response. When he says to them,”Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so I may also go and pay him homage” you can quickly put together that was not his plan. Instead an angel would warn the wise men to return another way and would also warn Joseph to take his family into exile in Egypt until this king died. For Herod the cruel would order the death of every child under the age of two in the area of Bethlehem in order to hold onto his power. 

Yet, the expensive gifts given by the Magi helped sustain the Holy Family in Egypt until they, too, could return again. These were gifts of hope much like those promised to the earlier Jewish people.

Where can we find lessons for today in this story? Well, I think the biggest lesson is that even in difficult times there is hope. There will be cruelty in the world at times as we know and see every time we turn on the television. There is war, starvation, suffering, and power hungry leaders who care more about building their wealth and territories than for helping others. But there will also be strangers who offer gifts, hope in new birth, and the light of Christ to guide us.

Our challenge is to connect to that Christ light that is within each of us: the gift of grace that reminds us that we too are children of God and we too, imperfect as we are, are beloved by Christ and can embody the Christ-like spirit of hope even and especially when life is difficult. 

Jesus may not be incarnate as an individual human on earth today, but we each have the ability to connect to the God who is still very much with us.

Some days that hope, that connection, might just be for ourselves. When our lives feel chaotic or difficult, we can connect with the calming presence of God with us and know that despite our ups and downs, our mistakes and imperfections, we are enough, just as we are. We are not only worthy of God’s love but are strengthened by it. 

And on the days when we do feel stronger, we are called beyond ourselves to be a source of Christ’s hope and love to others: as  Center for Action and Contemplation Faculty Member Brian McLaren states, “For spiritually alive people, for people of deep and genuine faith, we don’t want to surrender to despair and cynicism, reactivity and fragmentation. We want to be healed and empowered, so we can participate in healing and empowering other people. “ 

We empower others by feeding them physically or metaphorically, helping the sick and discouraged and standing up against injustice towards people, animals and the planet. We are called to be bridges of peace and love in a world that sometimes wants to build walls of hatred. 

How do we do that?
We begin with the hope that things will get better. Then…
We look at the examples that prove this to be true:
Amid the destruction of Gaza City, a teenager recently painted 2026 on his tent while an artist sculpted the same in the sand in Deir el-Balah in Central Gaza. 
In Sudan, where a Civil War began 2.5 years ago displacing 12 million people and killing many, local human rights workers and community organizers continue to persevere in helping the people.
In Ukraine, after four years of war, a Christmas concert was held in the underground metro station where there could be some measure of safety and the ability to celebrate the season. 
If these people, with all they have suffered and lost in the past two years, can still hold out hope, can still work for peace, then so must we.
Here in the U.S., volunteers offer support by going with refugees and asylum seekers to their immigration hearings and assisting those who were wrongfully imprisoned.

In all of these places, and many others, aid organization volunteers from Save the Children, Doctors without Borders, World Central Kitchen, Action Against Hunger and so many others risk their lives to bring help and hope.

There are many people in the world who care and lead with love and so can we.

We are reaching out offering a helping hand with the over $3000 dollars raised from our Fight World Hunger Dinner and an additional $8200 in mission funds for local and global organizations who help others. 

We are leading with love with our Open and Affirming status and our sign out front that emphasizes that all people no matter their age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family configuration, economic circumstances, education, physical, cognitive, or emotional abilities, spiritual and religious traditions are welcome here.

We have a mission that says we are “Striving to live God’s message of inclusive love through Jesus Christ in our community, nation, and world.”

What else are we called to do to live into this mission sharing God’s love and hope?

We can speak out against injustice, hatred and division;
We can lift up the voices of the marginalized;
We can help those in need.
We can lead with love, always, even towards those who think differently from us. 

How else should we help? That is our question to ponder. 

As we move into this new year, let us resolve to connect anew to the spirit of the Christ child, one who began his human life as a refugee fleeing a cruel and unjust ruler but who also became: the embodiment of love, justice, joy, compassion, and peace. Leading with love, we can re-solve the problems of our time, one compassionate, caring action at a time, just as Jesus would do. Amen.

Pastor Michelle Fountain