At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs the first of many miracles. Oddly, it is not an occasion of healing. Rather, the wine runs out – gasp! Pastor Dan suggests that this story is about abundance – God’s, ours, and Martin Luther King’s.

Christmas is about love that comes from the edge of society, the poorest of the poor, the outsider, the foreigner. People often receive compassion, mercy, or an unexpected gift from a surprising place. Rev. Jody Betten helps us imagine the Holy Family and the gifts they bring.

Many of God’s creatures support our ancient stories. At Christmas, they include a donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem, oxen sharing a manger, and camels carrying wise ones who follow a star. Rev. Jody asks us to consider the gift of the life of our planet.

Today’s reading is about pregnant cousins Mary and Elizabeth visiting together. It’s helpful to commiserate with others who know what we’re feeling as changes in body and lifestyle prepare us for what’s ahead. Children can bring us much joy; so can friends who walk with us on the journey of parenting.

In a sort of ‘audition,’ Dan and Jody shared a few ideas about how Douglas UCC might grow and change. Afterward, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to accept them as the church’s new co-pastors.

When we extend mercy to the unforgivable or advocate for the least, last, lost, and lonely we may not be well received. This week Rev. Jody considers the consequences and rewards of following the way of Jesus.

Since the election, some folks began asking what it now means to live, love, imagine a flourishing future, and care for the least. They want to know how to contribute to the side of goodness and justice. Rev. Jody considers what it means to be a peacemaker.

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness toward someone it is within one’s power to punish or harm. When have you received mercy? Are you inclined to “pay it forward”? Rev. Jody talks about mercy in the Beatitudes.

A recent documentary discusses Christian nationalism; a current Presidential candidate is tied to the movement. Rev. Dan is not sure how righteousness is best defined, but he knows it when he sees it in the lives of ordinary saintly people.