Mary and Joseph walked a road they didn’t want to walk. It wasn’t their choice. Orders came down from men in power. Go to Bethlehem. They went because they had to. Life often feels like that—going places you don’t want to go, carrying burdens you didn’t choose.
Bethlehem wasn’t ready for them. The inns were full. They were just another couple in a sea of travelers. Mary’s time came. There was no room, no welcome. They found a stable. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t quiet. But it was all they had.
The baby came anyway. Crying in the night, wrapped in strips of cloth, laid in a manger. Jesus. The Son of God. The Messiah. And no one noticed.
Far away from the noise of town, shepherds watched their sheep. The fire flickered, and they kept their eyes on the dark hills. They weren’t waiting for a miracle. They were just working.
Then the sky broke open. Light. Angels. Voices singing. It wasn’t soft or gentle. It was loud and terrifying. “Don’t be afraid,” one said. “We have good news. A Savior is born. You’ll find him in Bethlehem, lying in a manger.”
The shepherds didn’t stay by the fire. They ran. They had nothing to offer but their presence. They came anyway.
You’ve heard this story before. Maybe you believed it once. Maybe you don’t anymore.
The world was dark then, as it is now. People were tired then, as they are now—hurt, angry, and hopeless.
But here’s the thing: God didn’t wait for the world to be good, for people to be ready, or for faith to be strong. God came into the mess, into the brokenness, into the questions and doubts.
The church might have hurt you. People might have let you down. You’ve been through things no one understands. And maybe you’ve decided faith is for someone else.
But what if it’s not?
What if the story of Christmas isn’t about the church, the rules, or the people who got it wrong? What if it’s just about God showing up? Not to judge you. But to be with you.
The light shines in the darkness—not in perfect places or places where it’s easy. The light shines in the cracks, shadows, and places we hide.
If you’ve given up, that’s okay. You don’t have to believe everything right now. Just take the light. Hold it. Let it remind you of this: you are not alone.
God doesn’t need you to be perfect. God wants to be your light in the darkness.
This is Christmas. This is love. This light is God reaching out. Will you take it?
Pastor Jamey
