12/25/2025
Bishop Douglas Fisher's Christmas Message: https://youtu.be/DqaHR-IUjR8?si=jgJ9-nnh0PBvJrMg
Text is below:
In Matthew's infancy narrative, there seems to be a baby naming conundrum. First, Matthew tells us how an angel appears to Joseph in a dream to tell him about what is really going on with Mary. In that same dream, the angel tells Joseph to name the child “Jesus” which means, “God saves.”
But then Matthew reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah said 700 years earlier: The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel which means, "God is with us."
So, what is it going to be? “Jesus” like the angel said or “Emmanuel” like the holy prophet said? Joseph goes to Mary and Mary tells him her angel said “Jesus.” Joseph was a wise husband and agreed with his wife.
But there is still so much value in the name "Emmanuel.” How often in our lives when we are going through difficult things, that what gets us through it is knowing God is with us. Even if we cannot feel salvation or experience God's presence or have any solutions. So, let's all keep Emmanuel.
But let’s return to the name of Jesus - "God saves." In Luke's gospel, the very first time Jesus goes to the synagogue in Nazareth, he reads from the prophet Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news for the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
They were "amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." He reads so well! Our schools in Nazareth did a great job teaching him.
But then Jesus adds, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in year hearing.” They are so upset they try to throw him off a cliff but Jesus escapes. What made them so upset?
I think they were saying, "Those lines from Isaiah were just meant for church. We don't believe those things should actually happen. Perhaps, they just wanted "God with us" and not "God saves us." Maybe, they felt overwhelmed by the reality of bringing forth God’s justice in their time. Perhaps we feel the same in ours. But we are part of the story of salvation. In my 14th and last Christmas message to you, - although you will be in my heart every Christmas and always - I'll once again quote Michael Curry. “We are the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement that will change the nightmare this world is for so many into the dream God has for us."
God’s dream is to save the poor from poverty, to save immigrants from being picked off the streets with no due process, to save us all from endless gun violence, to save the creation from greed and destruction. We have already committed ourselves to this vision by our baptism, but at this holy time of year, we are reminded that the incarnation isn’t just about the Word becoming flesh in Jesus. It is also about the Word becoming flesh in us.
One of our Western Massachusetts bishops who served generations ago - Phillips Brooks – wrote the Christmas hymn, “Little Town of Bethlehem.” One verse is a perfect Christmas prayer, "O Holy Child of Bethlehem be born in us today." Be born in us today. It's not just church talk. It’s how the nightmare will become the dream.
God is with us.
God saves us.
And, as St. Paul told us, “God working in us can do INFINITELY more than we can ask of imagine.”
Merry Christmas.
Reverend Douglas Fisher, Bishop of the The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher offers his last Christmas message to the faithful of Western Massachusetts.Stock Media provided by QuietimeMusic / Pond5
