An invitation to worship...
The Rest of the Christmas Story
December 27, 2025
Good Third Day of Christmas College Church!
I trust you have all had a Merry Christmas Day and are appreciating this season of Christmas. This Sunday, on this First Sunday of Christmas, which is the Fourth Day of Christmas, we will gather to worship, not in anticipation of our Lord’s birth, but in celebration of it.
We will praise the Lord with the Psalmist in Psalm 148, which, appropriately, calls for all of creation to praise. In the Epistle reading (Hebrews 2), we will, appropriately, be reminded of just how human our Savior was. And in the gospel, in Matthew 2, we will hear the rest of the Christmas story, which is not nearly as nice as what is usually read at Christmas. On this first Sunday of Christmas, we won’t be reading about a trip to Bethlehem, the birth of a baby, angels declaring the glory of God, or shepherds going to see this thing that had happened. Instead, we will be reading about a jealous king whose rage resulted in Mary and Joseph having to flee Bethlehem in the middle of the night and the subsequent death of scores of innocent children. Now, that may not seem an appropriate story to read on the first Sunday of Christmas, but it is an important part of the story because it reveals very clearly, the kind of God our Savior is.
I am looking forward to being with you all again on Sunday, when we consider the rest of the Christmas story. I believe it will be a good day!
Pastor Mark
Good Third Day of Christmas College Church!
I trust you have all had a Merry Christmas Day and are appreciating this season of Christmas. This Sunday, on this First Sunday of Christmas, which is the Fourth Day of Christmas, we will gather to worship, not in anticipation of our Lord’s birth, but in celebration of it.
We will praise the Lord with the Psalmist in Psalm 148, which, appropriately, calls for all of creation to praise. In the Epistle reading (Hebrews 2), we will, appropriately, be reminded of just how human our Savior was. And in the gospel, in Matthew 2, we will hear the rest of the Christmas story, which is not nearly as nice as what is usually read at Christmas. On this first Sunday of Christmas, we won’t be reading about a trip to Bethlehem, the birth of a baby, angels declaring the glory of God, or shepherds going to see this thing that had happened. Instead, we will be reading about a jealous king whose rage resulted in Mary and Joseph having to flee Bethlehem in the middle of the night and the subsequent death of scores of innocent children. Now, that may not seem an appropriate story to read on the first Sunday of Christmas, but it is an important part of the story because it reveals very clearly, the kind of God our Savior is.
I am looking forward to being with you all again on Sunday, when we consider the rest of the Christmas story. I believe it will be a good day!
Pastor Mark