The Whole Story of Christmas

The Christmas story does not end with a peaceful manger, shining star, and visiting Magi. In Matthew’s Gospel, the joy of Epiphany is followed by fear, violence, escape, and lament.

In this Sunday Spark Sermon, Pastor Zach invites us to embrace the whole story of Christmas—not only the parts that comfort us, but also the parts that challenge us. As the Magi return home by another road and the Holy Family flees across a border into Egypt, we are asked to consider what faithful resistance, justice, compassion, and love of neighbor look like in a world where “Rachel still weeps.”

When God gives God’s own self to us in Jesus, what part of ourselves are we willing to give back?