Unity Service: The Context is the Story

This is Both In Person and ZOOM for link- email: unityofwestchester@gmail.com We often hear the Christmas story as if it happened in a world completely different from our own. But Matthew and Luke weren't telling their stories in a vacuum. They were telling them in a world shaped by the Roman Empire, political power, religious expectation, economic inequality, and communities trying to understand what Jesus meant. In The First Christmas, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan invite us to look beyond the familiar manger scene and ask a deeper question: What was the world behind these stories? Matthew and Luke tell very different Christmas stories. Why? Who were they speaking to? What did their communities need to hear? And what happens when we understand the stories within the context of the Roman Empire and first-century Judaism? But this isn't simply a history lesson. We also live in a particular context. Here in Westchester in late 2026, we are part of a remarkably diverse community—politically, culturally, religiously, economically, and spiritually. We live in a nation wrestling with questions of power, belonging, identity, immigration, inequality, division, and what kind of future we want to create. So perhaps the deeper question isn't simply: “What happened at the first Christmas?” It is: “What does the Christmas story mean when we hear it in our context?” Join us for a talk and Unity Service about how understanding the context behind the Christmas stories may change the way we hear them—and perhaps even change the way we understand our own story today. Everyone is welcome at Unity of Westchester! Service located in the LOFT on Campus of Memorial United Methodist Church 252 Bryant Ave. White Plains, NY Join us Sunday at 10:00 AM in person or ZOOM for an uplifting Unity service of music, meditation, inspiration, and community. Unity of Westchester Practical spirituality for living a more conscious, connected, and…