Guilt is not the same as shame. But they’re cousins. And I need you to hold this with me. Guilt and shame run in the same circles and play on the same teams. But they’re different. And here’s the best way to describe it: Shame focuses on self . . . Guilt is about behavior. Guilt says, “I did something bad.” Shame says, “I am bad.” See the difference?

Baptism is as much about us believing and reclaiming this core truth of our existence as it is anything else. And that’s what I want to leave you with. We are God’s beloved. We belong. Even when we’re told we aren’t and we don’t.

I’m convinced the leading cause of our individual sin has in some part . . . if not a large part . . . to do with shame.

There’s a way you can stay differentiated and still love your neighbors who are confused and misguided . . . It happens when you develop a strong, inner, spiritual core . . . and you live out of your soul. This is the way we can hold that which we hate or don’t understand . . . because we hold it in the light of love. The earthly realm can’t do this. But God can. And Spirit can. And we’re called to be people who live and move and have our being in Spirit.

Loving your neighbor requires a rise in consciousness if we’re to move towards inclusion. Churches who can see beyond doctrine or dogma . . . Christian who can love those who think differently . . . and hold one another in unconditional, positive regard, we will bring Jesus’ kingdom to earth much faster than those who can’t.

To love our neighbors well we must seek to understand their pain and make the connection that our pain is similar. And together we can be each other’s wounded healers. And together . . . wounds and all . . . we can make it to Jesus together.

In the gospels, Jesus heals the sick constantly. There are a lot of people sick. So much so that it becomes a priority of ministry for Jesus and the disciples. Nothing has changed today. Sickness is a part of life. Being neighborly means creating the space necessary to see who is ill and showing up and offering to heal. This happens in Mark 1 and can/should still happen today.

Loving the cantankerous souls of the world is challenging. It may need to be said that loving others doesn’t mean we have to be in a constant relationship with them. Instead, loving our neighbors means we genuinely wish them well. In John 1, Jesus calls disciples and not all of them have the most open spirit. Philip takes convincing. He’s hard-hearted. But through love, relationships change.

Jesus is born! Magi come from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. To dismiss these travelers would be to dismiss the moment the world-stage declares Jesus as the rightful king. The only way this moment could have happened is for Mary and Joseph to not be afraid of the strangers. They opened their soul to their global neighbors.

To begin this sermon series, we need a philosophical framework for what it means to be a child of God. The Prologue to John offers this in spades. We will see that all of God’s children include all the children of the world. This means we are to extend love to every single person in this world. To love less is to miss the Greatest Commandment.

Mary takes Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification. While there, a soothsayer blesses Jesus and sings something we would all do well to hear. His song is one of comfort for the whole world.

The promise of Christmas is that God’s love and light find you right where you are. You did not earn it. You did not get lucky and find it. God’s presence and abiding grace were always for you, and you were never too lost for God to find you and offer it.

Mary’s song is the gospel before the gospel unfolds. She visits her relative (probably cousin) Elizabeth and announces in the song that she will forever magnify the Lord because of this miracle. During her pregnancy, she predicts the gospel before it unfolds. Her words still ring true for us today and lead us into worship.

Today’s text is famously known as the Annunciation. It’s when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the Mother of God-Incarnate. It’s here that Mary encounters the Divine, head-on. And what unfolds she counts as joy.

The comfort we need this Christmas is one of peace. We need peace of mind, peace of spirit, and peace on earth. We can rightfully assume this peace will not be contrived by human hands. We need the peace that surpasses understanding. We need the peace of God that comes with God-sized comfort.