Week 2 of a six-week series called Promises Fulfilled. This week, we explore the Christmas Story. The Christmas story, the birth of Jesus, reaches out to all those on the outside of society’s norms, to those who feel they are in darkness, to those who feel despair. Just like the angels coming to the shepherds in the dark, cold night, hope brings us joy, generosity, compassion, and relationships. Christmas brings us the promise of a new year - a new year filled with hope. A new year filled with relationships of all kinds - virtually, physically, or in ways we never imagined. The birth of Jesus brought the shepherds and eventually the Magi and all of us into a community of hope that we never imagined, never dreamed of. It brought people from far and wide into community - a community that says you are loved and that you belong.