Christmas is a glorious time filled with joy and wonder, as we celebrate the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior.

In Benjamin Britten's wonderful A Ceremony of Carols, he sets to music these words from the sixteenth century English priest and poet Robert Southwell:

This little Babe, so few days old, is come to rifle Satan's fold;

All hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake;

For in this weak unarmed wise, the gates of hell he will surprise.

What does it mean that the fulfillment of God's eternal promise leads us to a stable in Bethlehem? How does this help us understand the relationship between Jesus' birth and our daily lives in this challenging, complex world?

We will explore these questions at worship.