A Christmas Prayer

Dear Beloved Community,

On this Christmas Eve, it is my prayer that you find yourself in the presence of those with whom you find life, love, happiness, and fulfillment. It is also my prayer that at some point in the coming week, we all reach beyond ourselves to extend radical hospitality and pursuing justice for the common good in hopes of bringing about transformation. Let us all join together in praying for peace where there is war, hope where there is cynicism, and healing where there has been disaster. On this night where we remember the birth of the Christ child and God became like one of us, let us remember the powerful effect that our love and care for one another can have one the people around us. Let us also pray for those who are grieving, and may be experiencing an incredibly difficult time this year.

Remember that there are no Christmas Eve services at Crossroads (St. Luke's), but you are invited to join us at Metropolitan Memorial (3401 Nebraska Ave. NW) four Christmas Eve (5 PM, 7:30 with communion, and 11:00 PM with prelude music beginning at 10:30). Come and join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

December 26: We will NOT gather for worship on December 26. We will meet again on Sunday, January 2 at 5 PM.

Small Group: The Thursday group will NOT meet this week but will resume in early January.

May God grant you peace on this most joyful day.

Merry Christmas,

Jimmy Sherrod

This Week - Fourth Sunday in Advent

The Other Side of the Door

New and unseen things reside on the opposite sides of doors. This is both a blessing – offering new life and possibility – and also a source of anxiety, because we really never know what is there. Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz came amidst a time of great anxiety, when Jerusalem was being besieged by the apparently invincible armies of Assyria; and the prophet calls on the king to trust that God is still working. Matthew also tells a story of great uncertainty, an unwed mother prepares for the birth of her child; a man betrothed to a pregnant woman wonders how to respond. How to we address the anxieties of our lives and prepare to trust. The sermon will explore where the trust comes from, and how we live into it.

Join us Sunday at 5 PM for worship!

A 'just' Christmas

alternative way of giving the Christmas
by Rev. Kate Murphey

We are about to celebrate God’s gift of eternal truth and love made tangible in the person of Jesus Christ. As a way of honoring and passing on the hope and joy of such a gift, we, in turn, give one another gifts. It’s a practice meant to ripple out God’s love across our communities and world, drawing all of us closer to one another. Unfortunately, there are some things impeding those ripples. The rampant consumerism coupled with a drive for maximizing profit has led to slave labor, unsafe working conditions, and the depletion of natural resources. We have focused on what we want for ourselves, making sure the right people have our lists. However, Christmas is not about us. It is not our birthday. And in honor of that, I invite all of us to focus on what we want for others, for our communities and for our world.

Give life-giving gifts

So that not only is the gift-receiver blessed, but the gift-maker and the natural resources used to create are as well. Here are names of fair trade organizations to Google where you will find such good gifts:

General Gifts

Global Exchange
Fair Trade Federation
Ten Thousand Villages
Women Thrive Worldwide
Global Stewards

Baby & Kids Gifts

Taraluna
Tiny Birds
Peapods

Food/Drink Gifts
Women’s Bean Project
Garudain
Equal Exchange
Alter Eco

Clothing

Avatar
Market Place India
Maggie’s
Marigold
Global Mamas

Give Empowerment

www.kiva.org is a micro-loan site. Choose an entreprenuer; lend that pesron money; read about how they're doing; receive payment on the loan, and lend the money again to someone else. Give a gift certificate for someone else to do the same.

I saw the transformation such micro-loans can bring first-hand in Nicaragua in 2008: I met a woman, Berta, who received a $300 loan to buy a cow. She went on to establish her own brand and now has eight cows to supply cheese and milk for her family and to sell. Her husband and children have also started helping her with household chores so that she can travel to workshops. She described the experience by saying, “It was like before I was asleep, without courage.” That one $300 micro-loan and one cow changed her world.

As we give this Christmas, I hope that we can look for life-sustaining opportunities that will bless the maker, giver, and receiver.

Peace,

Rev. Kate