Advent Day 25 – Christmas

Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. Amen.
Luke 2:1-20  

Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. It’s Christmas!

Every Sunday this month we’ve placed added characters to our manger scene during worship. Piece by piece, they’ve taught us lessons about hope.

Joseph taught us the importance of letting go of one goal in order to hope for a new, better one. He let go of the goal of a nice, quiet marriage and embraced the adventurous goal of being the adoptive father to the Son of God.

Mary taught us the benefit of asking questions. When the angel proposed that she could be the theotokos, the God-bearer, she asked the childlike question: “How?” That question – and the angel’s answer – gave her the hope she needed to say, “Yes.”

The shepherds showed us that hope is for everyone. They were nobodies – a part of society “literally not worth counting” – and yet they got the news about Jesus first. Hope is for everyone, starting with the no ones.

The presence of the wise men highlighted the absence of King Herod. You can’t come to worship a newborn king if you’re obsessively defending your right to be on the throne. Finding hope in Christ requires the humility to let Christ be King.

And only one person remained. I bet you know who it is.

Now, we’ve placed baby Jesus in the manger scene and made it complete. But don’t miss the chance to wait for Jesus’ arrival throughout the year. In the quiet moments today, in between family and friends, ask yourself: what am I longing to find through the Christ Child this year?

The Advent Candles we’ve lit each week suggest words for what we might expect to feel this Christmas. So, open your heart and be ready to experience:

Hope.
Peace.
Joy.
Love.

Amen.

Prayer: Holy God, On this sacred morning, we come with hearts full of wonder and gratitude. Today, we celebrate the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, born to bring light into our darkness and hope into our weariness. You chose to enter our world not with grandeur but with humility, through a tiny baby laid in a manger. This is the love that changes everything—love that seeks us, saves us, and calls us to reflect it in our lives. We give thanks for the beauty of this day, for the songs of angels that echo in our hearts, and for the joy of gathering with family and community. Let the light of Christ burn brightly within us, igniting a passion to share Your peace with a world in need. Bless those who feel lonely today, reminding them that they are never forgotten. Strengthen those who are working—healers, protectors, and caregivers—on this day of celebration. Comfort those who grieve and help us to embody the love of Christ in our actions and prayers. May the hope of Christmas inspire us to be bearers of good news, declaring with our lives that love has come, joy is here, and Emmanuel—God with us—walks beside us always. In the name of the Holy Child of Bethlehem, we pray. Amen.