Neli ML

  Christmas Eve celebration Luke 2:1-14 Rev. Neli Miranda               “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). These are the revolutionary words God’s messenger proclaims not to the powerful in Jerusalem or Rome, but to a group of shepherds keeping watch in the fields.             Jesus’ birth occurs in stark contrast to the world around him. This world is ruled by Caesar Augustus, an emperor who, with a single decree, sets the known world in motion. His is a hierarchical system with himself at the apex, supported by Roman and local elites, while the vast majority of people live in poverty and oppression at the bottom. Yet, no matter what the emperor decrees, the divine plan is not prevented. Indeed, the emperor...