Na ke aloha o ke Akua ma loko o Iesu Kristo, e aloha iā ʻoukou ā pau!

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 18th), the Gospel lesson was from the Gospel of Matthew (2:18-25)

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:

Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means “God with us.”)

When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife.

Matthew’s telling of the story of the birth of Jesus is very different than that of Luke. There is mention of a census, the manger, the shepherds or even angels singing “Gloria.” It is a story of a simple pious man in a difficult situation.

The story picks up two themes from Matthew’s Gospel: Mercy and Action.

First, Joseph knows that Mary could be publicly punished (even with death) and certainly humiliated, and yet that is not the path he wanted. He is merciful. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches mercy as a prime value of faith. During the Sermon on the Mount, he declares:

“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy” (5:7)

Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 twice in Matthew’s Gospel (9:13 and 12:7):

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

In the story of Joseph, he has three dreams with one that requires him to act. In the first, he is assured all is well with Mary and he took Mary as his wife. In Matthew, Jesus calls disciples to action. Again, from the Sermon on the Mount:

“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full…. Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.”

In Matthew 25, we are reminded of the actions that show our connection with God (25:31-46):

“I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.”

Perhaps those two words – mercy and action – are the watch words of Christmas 2022. Our world has changed. The Pandemic, war in Europe, refugees, inflation and much more make for anxiety. We, however, are the followers of Jesus. We know we are loved by God. As is declared in the First Letter of Peter (2:10):

“Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Mercy is love enacted.

This Christmas, I hope we can all be thankful for the mercy of God – love – in our lives and that can call us to act – to be Christ’s love in the world.

May endless Joy and Peace and Love, the Blessed Savior’s gifts from heaven above shine like candles in the night to make your pathways clear, smooth, and bright throughout 2023.

Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko makou Haku,

+Bob

Listed below are Christmas service times for most of the churches in the Diocese. At the time of release, we did not receive all schedules. If you have any questions, contact the church directly. Contact information for all churches can be found on the Diocesan website HERE, where the linked church name will take you to their website. Most churches are also offering both in-person and online services.