We Christians, as Paul reminds us, have our citizenship in heaven. This means that, here below, we are "resident aliens," at work in the world, but our eyes fixed on a transcendent goal. This makes us, paradoxically enough, the best friends the world ever had.

The Bible rather consistently lays out three ways walked by the man or woman of holiness: finding the center, knowing you're a sinner, and realizing your life is not about you. All of these are beautifully presented in the story of the call of Simon.

Baptism is literally a Christ-ening, a turning of someone into Christ. This means that all baptized people must assume the three-fold office of Jesus: priest (sanctifier), king (leader), and prophet (speaker of the truth).

The Church of Jesus Christ is not a club, not a social organization, not a collectivity of like-minded people. Rather, it is a living organism, a body composed of interdependent cells and molecules.

When Jesus appears at the Wedding Feast of Cana, he signals the marriage of heaven and earth. When God moves into our experience, he transfigures humanity, elevating art, philosophy, science and politics into bearers of the sacred. He changes the water of earth into the wine of heaven.

When the Gospels talk about families, we might be a bit surprised. There is nothing sentimental in the Biblical vision of families. They are seen, not as ends in themselves, but as training grounds for the work of the Kingdom.

At Christmas, the Word became flesh. This means that God's own mind became a tiny child, small enough to hold in our hands. This is the poetry, the glory, the surprise of Christmas.