Reinhold Niebuhr said: Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; and he added, Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone. These important observations should inform people of faith, recognizing that we are mired in the present moment yet the just society we long for cannot likely be attained during our lifetimes and we certainly can’t make much progress as isolated individuals. We must not allow our cynicism about the next four years to keep us from working for those important goals that will not be visible for generations to come.

Noam Chomsky offers two dire warnings following the election of Donald Trump: The first is an accelerated use of carbon based fuels that will bring the human race to extinction and the other is a renewed nuclear arms race leading quickly to a nuclear war. As real as these threats are, this sermon speaks to the ways in which fear is a villain that pushes us to make the worst decisions in response to these global threats.

The Standing Rock camps are still in operation. The DAPL construction equipment is still poised to return to drilling if the Trump administration reverses Obama's halt on the project. This important protest still calls for our involvement and support.

This sermon was written and delivered by Rev. Mel Miller in 1963. The Millers had four children when they decided to adopt a black child and then a Native American child in the early days of the Civil Rights movement. They were sorely abused for their progressive decision but Mel wrote this sermon (which is read today by his eldest daughter) to kindly and patiently help his congregation to understand the bold moves his family was making.

Matthew and Luke tell completely different (and contradictory) accounts of the birth of Jesus.  Neither are meant to be taken literally.  They were writing a theological message (sermon) to introduce their gospels.  Where the two agree is that the Jesus they were going to describe was a messenger who would turn the world upside down, casting down the rich and powerful in favor of the weak and poor.  There is our real Christmas story, a story of liberation and justice.

We cannot make America Great by exporting Hispanics, by closing our borders to Muslims, by taking away the rights of same sex couples, women, union laborers, and the differently abled. In fact, America is great, not in spite of its diversity but specifically because of it.