with a sweet family gathered together. We talk about the treasured

moments we get to spend with those we love at Christmas to the degree

that belonging is almost entirely interwoven into the whole feel of

Christmas. But many people do not have that kind of togetherness or

belonging on Christmas – or at any other time throughout the year. They

feel like outsiders and for many that feeling is painful and filled

with overtones of rejection. The ironic thing is that the Christmas

story itself is full of outsiders that God chose to include. If you’re

an outsider, you are specifically invited in. And if you are an insider,

part of following God is to look for outsiders to include! We’ll look

at a part of the Christmas story today and see how this whole story

revolves around outsiders.