2022-12-25 SJBC Sunday VMass – Nativity Of The Lord - Christmas 2022

The Nativity of the Lord Christmas 2022 TODAY’S READINGS First Reading - All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:7-10) Psalm - The whole world has seen God’s salvation (Psalm 98) Second Reading - God has spoken to us through the Son, the very imprint of God’s being (Hebrew 1:1-6) Gospel – The Word became flesh; from his fullness we have all received grace (John 1:1-18) WHAT ALL THE WAITING HAS BEEN FOR Today’s readings are as familiar to most of us as the carols we sing and the commercials that overwhelm this holiday season. Often Christmas finds us tired, struggling with preparations and expectations. What we really want to feel is joy and peace. The stress of preparation, of waiting, is reflected in both Isaiah and Paul’s letter to Titus. Luke tells us of the exhaustion that Mary and Joseph felt: a young pregnant wife and her husband, forced to travel just as she is about to give birth, unable even to find a room to stay in. It must have been miserable. They must have been afraid. In the midst of this exhaustion, misery, and fear, a child is born, a Son is given. The world is then filled with light and hope, joy and peace. In that moment they, and we, know what all the waiting has been for.