{"id":63037,"date":"2023-12-20T09:10:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=63037"},"modified":"2023-12-20T09:10:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:10:28","slug":"the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/","title":{"rendered":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Happy, bright faces pressed together, donned with fashionable hats. A young couple <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/u0unob9H2ZA?si=XszPXrTEiYi7lfAt\">giving new vehicles<\/a> to one another. Kids sprinting for the tree in cozy pajamas, together with their smiling parents, holding mugs of hot joe. Grandparents beaming with joy, grateful for yet another happy holiday gathering. <br><br>Retailers use these images to manipulate consumption for a successful fourth quarter. It\u2019s not too late to buy that gift card. After all, you can share the steaming Starbucks frappuccino with your lover.  Grocers rely on the buzz, too, since no one wants to run low on mashed potatoes or pie for the holiday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The images lie. Many Christians dread Christmas because it brings suffering. And all of them seek to be filled with the love of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Idealized Christmas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Screenwriters dig underneath the surface to expose just enough of the truth of the holidays. They\u2019re great for some, and awful for others. A 15-minute trip through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/browse\/genre\/107093\">Netflix holiday specials<\/a> reveals the social realities. Many people dread holiday gatherings and would like nothing better than to stay in bed until January 2. Charles Dickens\u2019 Scrooge represents the transformed holiday hater &#8211; he is the consummate old man who recalls the missed opportunities of his life with regret, only to discover the joy of life right in front of him at the eleventh hour. <br><br>Is Scrooge\u2019s epiphany universal? Can everyone have an \u201caha!\u201d moment of discovering joy in newfound life? <br><br>If not, what happens when one dreads and avoids Christmas? Is it acceptable to set a lower bar of expectations for Christmas? <br><br>Can one express their feelings honestly on Christmas, and be sad, bitter, and even angry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Holiday Stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/news\/press\/releases\/2023\/11\/holiday-season-stress\">89% of Americans<\/a> are experiencing moderate to extreme stress during the 2023 holiday season. There are multiple stressors &#8211; inflation, weight gain, kids, extended family members, and family dynamics. Whatever the cause, the statistics reveal a painful truth &#8211; the holidays are not really time off or the lessening of a burden for most people. Christmas brings new burdens and exacerbates existing ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stressed People and the Festal Assembly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The clergy and musicians gathered for liturgical celebrations are laser focused. They aim to intone the verses and antiphons, the hymns and readings, lessons and carols, and proclaim the good news for the glory of God. They hope to inspire, and to be inspired. They seek to deliver hope to those who are struggling, motivation for the disinterested, an olive branch for those estranged, and peace and good news to all. <br><br>Musicians, liturgy planners, and clergy are among those who arrive stressed for the services. The festal assembly is an extraordinary crowd because it gathers all of those who don\u2019t normally participate. Christmas services welcome people attending family gatherings against their will. Some are ignorant of Christianity, others are indifferent, and some are hostile because the Church has shamed them or their loved ones for one reason or another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Family Problems, Loneliness, and War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">There are many contributors to the people\u2019s exhaustion. There is the wear and tear of holiday bustle and domestic labor, to be sure. But many walk into the church with open wounds, even if we do not see them. They\u2019re enduring hostility from parents or spouses. They\u2019re grieving the loss of a loved one. More than ever, people are suffering from the despondency of loneliness and the end of friendships and relationships. Many are angry about the devastation of the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza. Others are traumatized by the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. <br><br>A given number of people joining in Christmas worship are suffering from some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ptsd.va.gov\/understand\/common\/common_adults.asp\">kind of trauma<\/a>. Pierced hearts and holes in souls fill the pews because the human bonds forged in nuclear families are torn asunder by sin, both voluntary and involuntary. Churches are not filled with righteous warriors of God, standing tall and poised to lead the almighty\u2019s armies. The houses of worship are spiritual hospitals, filled with walking wounded, exhausted people seeking somewhere to lay their heads and cast their burdens. <br><br>All of them have one thing in common &#8211; an inner void that no prescription medicine, no meditation, no addiction, no panacea can fill on its own. They seek to be filled with God, and the love of God. <br><br>Many participants have not received the consolation they sought from God. Many continue to search for wholeness outside of the Church. For those who remain, the second coming of Christ is their only and final hope, a desire to find love and community in the afterlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Liturgical Assembly&#8217;s Gift to the Afflicted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">One might imagine that the objective is to perfect the performance of a hymn, to decorate like never before, to inspire with liturgical \u201cAmens\u201d that would move the Augustines of the world, and to preach an incomparable sermon. <br><br>But perhaps this Christmas, the Church&#8217;s ministry is to give the afflicted a space to release their bitterness. Exhausted visitors can release their anger, their lament, their disappointment, their confession of shortcomings, their yearning to become whole, to be human. As those who have been born again and washed, by water and Spirit, and anointed &#8211; perhaps we can be the body of Christ that truly takes the burdens of those who need to let go, and to love them unconditionally, with neither shame nor admonition. <br><br>Perhaps the time has come for us to peel back the layers that conceal the true meaning of Christmas and to see it for what it really is &#8211; the birth of a messiah who experiences the worst of human suffering and trauma, and promises to both bear it and crucify it for us. He is inviting the Church, his fellows and friends, to bear witness to the suffering and trauma of all of humankind. Jesus beckons the Church to be their companions for the remainder of their journeys and to offer them rest in their exhaustion. Christ urges Christian faithful to reveal their own wounds, to proclaim their bitterness at suffering, and to go to him for rest and healing. <br><br>The Church&#8217;s task task is not the end-all, be-all. Those suffering with trauma can find healing through therapy, medication, and support outside of the Church. But Christians have a contribution to make in promoting the healing of this world, and the first step is to have the courage to approach those whom they have left on the margins because of stigmatization and shame.  <br><br>Surely, the churches will be filled with glorious sounds of praise this Christmas. Trumpets will herald the birth of the Lord; horns will lift praise on high to God; voices will sing Alleluia, the ancient song of joy. May we offer the gift of bearing witness to the sufferings of those who join us to worship, and to offer them companionship and rest during their exhausting journeys. May we hear their groans and laments, their regrets and confessions, their shouts and cries with patience and longsuffering. May we offer them the gift of the newborn king, who will lighten their burdens, take up their yoke, and wipe away their tears. <br><br>Christ is born! Glorify him!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy, bright faces pressed together, donned with fashionable hats. A young couple giving new vehicles to one another. Kids sprinting for the tree in cozy pajamas, together with their smiling parents, holding mugs of hot joe. Grandparents beaming with joy, grateful for yet another happy holiday gathering. Retailers use these images to manipulate consumption for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":63043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3119,91],"tags":[562,3645,3646],"class_list":["post-63037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-plaza-new-ws","category-liturgical-year","tag-christmas","tag-holiday-stress","tag-trauma"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happy, bright faces pressed together, donned with fashionable hats. A young couple giving new vehicles to one another. Kids sprinting for the tree in cozy pajamas, together with their smiling parents, holding mugs of hot joe. Grandparents beaming with joy, grateful for yet another happy holiday gathering. Retailers use these images to manipulate consumption for [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea-443x400.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"443\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nicholas Denysenko\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nicholas Denysenko\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nicholas Denysenko\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/29cb9757db91a220911040115cdd35e3\"},\"headline\":\"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1206,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Christmas\",\"Holiday Stress\",\"Trauma\"],\"articleSection\":[\"4_THE PLAZA\",\"Liturgical year\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/\",\"name\":\"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg\",\"width\":2391,\"height\":2161},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/20\\\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"description\":\"Worship, Wit &amp; Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"width\":1340,\"height\":209,\"caption\":\"Home\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/29cb9757db91a220911040115cdd35e3\",\"name\":\"Nicholas Denysenko\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Nicholas Denysenko\"},\"description\":\"Nicholas Denysenko serves as Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University. He previously taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (2010-2017). Denysenko is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (B.S. in Business, 1994), St. Vladimir\u2019s Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2000), and The Catholic University of America (Ph.D., 2008). His most recent books are The Church's Unholy War: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023), and This is the Day That the Lord Has Made: The Liturgical Year in Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023). He is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/ndenysenko\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home","og_description":"Happy, bright faces pressed together, donned with fashionable hats. A young couple giving new vehicles to one another. Kids sprinting for the tree in cozy pajamas, together with their smiling parents, holding mugs of hot joe. Grandparents beaming with joy, grateful for yet another happy holiday gathering. Retailers use these images to manipulate consumption for [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/","og_site_name":"Home","article_published_time":"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":443,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea-443x400.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nicholas Denysenko","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nicholas Denysenko","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/"},"author":{"name":"Nicholas Denysenko","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/29cb9757db91a220911040115cdd35e3"},"headline":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering","datePublished":"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/"},"wordCount":1206,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg","keywords":["Christmas","Holiday Stress","Trauma"],"articleSection":["4_THE PLAZA","Liturgical year"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/","name":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering - Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg","datePublished":"2023-12-20T15:10:26+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-20T15:10:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg","width":2391,"height":2161},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/the-peoples-ministry-at-christmas-bearing-witness-to-suffering\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The People\u2019s Ministry at Christmas: Bearing Witness to Suffering"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","name":"Home","description":"Worship, Wit &amp; Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization","name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","width":1340,"height":209,"caption":"Home"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/29cb9757db91a220911040115cdd35e3","name":"Nicholas Denysenko","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20180207-JLH-Nicholas-Denysenko-003-96x96.jpg","caption":"Nicholas Denysenko"},"description":"Nicholas Denysenko serves as Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University. He previously taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (2010-2017). Denysenko is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (B.S. in Business, 1994), St. Vladimir\u2019s Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2000), and The Catholic University of America (Ph.D., 2008). His most recent books are The Church's Unholy War: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023), and This is the Day That the Lord Has Made: The Liturgical Year in Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023). He is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America.","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/author\/ndenysenko\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pskov_nativity_salomea.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63037"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63048,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63037\/revisions\/63048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}