“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”
-John 1:14
Christmas often arrives wrapped in noise: lights, schedules, expectations, and memories that can be both joyful and heavy. We are told this is the season to be cheerful, grateful and whole. But for many, Christmas is also a tender time: marked by absence, grief, longing, or unanswered prayers.
Into all of that, Scripture speaks a quiet word: Emmanuel. God with us.
Not God above us demanding perfection, not God ahead of us urging us to hurry along.
But God with us; choosing closeness, vulnerability, and presence. The God who draws near.
The miracle of Christmas is not that everything suddenly becomes bright and easy. The miracle is that God enters the darkness without fear.
Jesus is born not into comfort, but into uncertainty. Not into certainty, but into risk. A young family far from home. A borrowed space. A night that is holy not because it is polished, but because God is there.
May this bring comfort for anyone whose Christmas does not look the way they hoped it would. God does not wait for our lives to be calm before drawing near. He comes into the mess, the silence, the ache and he stays.
So much of Christmas culture invites us to do more: host better, give better, feel better. But the first Christmas tells a different story.
Mary does not have answers, she only trusted..
Joseph does not have a plan, he was only obedient.
The shepherds do not bring gifts, only their presence.
And that is enough.
At the heart of Christmas is presence. God showing up. God is staying. God being with us in the most human way imaginable.God is with you.
If this season finds you joyful, may you know God’s delight with you. If it finds you grieving, may you know God sitting beside you. If it finds you uncertain, weary, or quietly holding it together, may you know that you are not alone.
Christmas whispers this truth again and again:
You do not have to be whole for God to come near.
You do not have to be strong to be held.
You do not have to have words for love to find you.
Where do you most need God with you this Christmas?
Perhaps in a memory that still aches, in a relationship that feels fragile or in a silence you’ve been carrying longer than you’d like to admit.
You don’t need to fix it tonight. You don’t need to resolve it before the new year.Just simply make room for His presence.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Joshua Hedgecock 