A Christmas Cry

Commentary: Jesus Was a Migrant

by Rebekah Choate, United Church of Christ

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. - Matthew 2:13-15 (NRSV)

December 18 is recognized as International Migrants Day by the United Nations. As it occurs during Advent, it is a perfect time to remember that Jesus himself was a migrant. In fact, the Bible is full of migration stories. Moses, Ruth, and the disciples were all migrants at one point or another. The whole of human history is a story of migration. Migration in search of food, land, water. Migration away from violence, destruction, famine.

Today, our human migration story is one of closed borders and fear. People are leaving their homes because they are afraid, and countries are closing their borders because they are afraid.  Read more

Be Not Afraid 

by Kent Siladi, Bridge Conference Minister

Being in the presence of angels apparently wasn’t easy. It was disconcerting to be in the glory of the Lord. Maybe it was a blinding light or maybe the angels came with a loud noise but whatever it was it was jarring to those in the fields. It brought a sense of uneasiness to the shepherds who were out tending their flocks. 

A confirming voice of the angel set the shepherds at ease. Don’t be afraid because the news we are announcing is good news that is of great joy! Be not afraid we come in peace.  It’s not just good news for you shepherds it is good news for ALL people.
 
With the world in its current state many are terrified. We are afraid that the world we live in is being destroyed by climate change. We live in fear of the other and our children are fearful even in their schools. We are an anxious and worried people who know brokenness and discord.  Read more

Wake Up, Turn Around, Enbridge

by Rev. Gretchen Elmendorf, Pastor, East Weymouth Congregational Church, UCC, Massachusetts.

Today stirred some theology in my mind and spirit. Here’s a spiritual essay. I write out of my faith tradition with full respect for those of different faiths or no particular faith. I wrote this the day of a demonstration when 4 of our 50 friends at the Fore River Basin site in Weymouth were arrested for preventing Enbridge from some construction that day.
 
Advent is the word that describes for Christians the 4 weeks prior to Christmas. It begins liturgically with John the Baptist’s call in the wilderness for us to wake up, to repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord. In churches during Advent, we take John’s message to mean it’s time to prepare for the coming of the Christ child and of Christmas. When John says prepare by repenting, the meaning of this word repent is not what you might think it is. It’s not about regret or guilt or shame. It stems from the Greek word metanoia. It implies making a decision to turn around, to face a new direction, to go a better way.  Read more

Greta Thunberg Compels Us All To Be Prophets by Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care for the Massachusetts Conference, UCC From the Daily Hampshire Gazette: The picture of Greta Thunberg on the cover of Time Magazine as its 2019 Person of the Year is both inspiring and sobering. Standing on an outcropping of rocks at the ocean’s edge, she gazes toward the sea. The splashing waves at her feet are a poignant reminder that signs of the climate crisis are all around us. The world’s oceans are rapidly losing oxygen — it’s as if they are beginning to suffocate. Many of the oceans’ vital ecosystems are at risk of collapse. And new research indicates that rising seas due to global warming could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought.  Some of the world’s great coastal cities will likely be erased, sending the number of climate refugees into the millions.  Read more UCC Nominees Among Semifinalists For 2020 Climate Leadership Awards Former MACUCC Minister & President Jim Antal a Semifinalist by Hans Holznagel, United Church of Christ A United Church of Christ minister, a UCC-related seminary's earth center, and an ecumenical activist group with UCC leaders are among 34 semifinalists for the 2020 American Climate Leadership Awards. EcoAmerica, a nonprofit whose mission is to build "institutional leadership, public support, and political will for climate solutions in the United States," named the semifinalists Dec. 9. They include the Rev. Jim Antal, retired Conference Minister of the Massachusetts Conference; the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary; and Interfaith Power & Light’s chapter in Maryland, northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.  Read more Give the Gift of Helping Others You already have the gift of helping others. On the Church World Service website, you can find ways to share that gift. It's not too late!  View all your options