Christmas Eve
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” —LUKE 2:1-14, 15-20 (NIV)
This birth (any birth for that matter) is a miracle. But this one especially. A teenage mother, belly stretched far beyond capacity or comfort, searches for a place to not only rest, but to give birth. A baby is born amid hay and feed. Their first visitors were shepherds, often viewed by some as the outcasts of society. This is the way God chose to meet us, not with power and opulence, but with tenderness and fragility on full display.
Something that took place over 2000 years ago still resounds through us today. Christ is born tonight. “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,” the Advent hymn invites us to sing along. Christ’s birth is realized hope. One of truth, compassion, restoration, and justice. But it’s not a hope just available for those at the tippy top. It’s hope for the rest of us. For the anxious. For the afraid. For the vulnerable. For the not-feeling-so-joyful. For the overwhelmed and atthe- end-of-their-rope. For the least of these. For the left-out and the lonely. For the weary.
For each of us and the whole world alongside us. We rejoice together for Christ has been born, the Emmanuel, God with us. Thanks be to God.
PRACTICE ADVENT TOGETHER
Whoever you gather with on Christmas Eve, find time to light your Advent wreath together. On this last night of Advent, light the purple and pink candles. The white candle in the middle of the wreath represents Christ. As you light the white center candle, reflect on the birth of Christ as the Emmanuel, God is with us.
REFLECT
1. Jesus arrives in tenderness. Where do you see and feel the tenderness and extravagant love of God today?
2. Christmas Eve can be the peaceful pause or last minute rush before the joy of Christmas morning. It can be a tough day for some who are grieving or lonely, and for others it can feel full of anticipation and excitement. How are you feeling today? How do you know that Christ is with you at this moment?
RESPOND
We come as we are to the manger, weary or excited, mourning or rejoicing. Take a minute to sing along or listen to the words of “O Holy Night,” as you reflect on all that you have learned about the promises and character of God this Advent season.
A Blessing for Christmas Eve
You are here. What a wonder.
Robed in the everyday majesty of a newborn.
So beautiful, so soft, so new.
Perfect in the terrifying fragility that thrills every parent.
“Watch his head!”
“Look at those tiny fingernails.”
God become human, blinking at strange, new surroundings.
All wisdom and power poured into a smallness that knows hunger and gravity and unseen urgency for your mother’s skin.
And Mary, so newly parted from you, turns her thoughts to the impossible angelic visitation that promised you’d come.
And she knew, somehow, staring at your eyelashes, that you were a great reversal, here to put all things right.
Blessed are we when our hearts warm with her.
You’re here. And we are too, newly come to worship with kings and shepherds and barn animals and angels as you light up the world on this holiest, loveliest night.
[Kate Bowler. “For Christmas Eve” in Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens. (New York:Convergent Books, 2024). 193.]