About Us 2

“Those who walked in the dark have seen a bright light. And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of darkest shadows.” Isaiah 9:2

Most of us find joy in decorating our homes for Christmas. We take out our treasured decorations and delight in the memories they hold. Growing up, every year we carefully unpacked the old nativity set and placed it under the Christmas tree. Over the years, the figures became chipped. Sheep were missing legs, and the cow had only one horn. By the time I was in high school, our original three wise men had been reduced to just two, the third one lost in the attic. The infant Jesus had teeth marks from the family dog acting as if the plastic savior was a chew toy.

However, our little nativity set never lost its ability to fill us with a sense of expectation. We never talked about buying a new perfectly enacted set. We never considered purchasing one that was a valuable collector’s item. I wonder if unconsciously there was something about its missing and damaged parts that was a source of comfort. After all it was familiar, and the reality of its imperfection reminded us of the need for Christmas, the need for love to enter our hearts once again.

Angels and wise men. Shepherds and stars. It never occurred to us as children that the cast of characters were mixing images of two different nativity accounts in the gospels. Only in Luke’s Gospel is there a manger and shepherds. The crowded inn and wise men and a brilliant star belong only to Matthew’s narrative. The birth narrative is not even mentioned in the gospel of Mark or John! What mattered to us was not the biblical or historical accuracy of the details.

What mattered was the power of the story to rekindle our sense of wonder and to stir our hearts. Along with strains of “Silent Night” playing softly in the background, our family nativity set reminded us, every winter of our lives, of the simple birth of a baby who provided the foundation of our faith. The light and hope of the world given to us in the darkest of seasons. Through that well-worn nativity we embraced the gift of love born in a stable and born in our hearts each year.

May the blessing of the Light of the World bring you a deep sense of wonder and love this Advent!

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world. The UCC is a church of firsts, a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where "…they may all be one" (John 17:21).

The Church of Firsts

Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. Together, we live out our faith in ways that effect change in our communities. The UCC's many "firsts" mean that we have inherited a tradition of acting upon the demands of our faith. When we read in Galatians: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"—a demand is made upon us. And so we were the first historically white denomination to ordain an African-American, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Our response to the demands of our faith is woven into the history of our country.

A Church of Extravagant Welcome

Today, we continue to change lives throughout the world. We work alongside more than 200 mission partners. We labor ceaselessly to fight injustice, in the United States and abroad. We instill our vision into our youth and young adults, forging leaders who will imagine new dreams. And we sustain and develop church leaders, pastors, and our local churches to live their faith in exciting new ways. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul.

We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary, and where together, we grow a just and peaceful world.