Rediscovering Christmas: Finding Christ in the Waiting, Struggle, and Brokenness

In the quiet darkness of a Bethlehem night, something extraordinary happened that would change the course of human history forever. Not with fanfare or military might, but in the most humble of ways—a baby's cry echoing through a stable, a star appearing in the heavens, and shepherds leaving their flocks to witness what had transpired.
This is the story of Christmas. Not just a historical event we commemorate once a year, but a living reality that continues to speak into our lives today.

The Beauty of Divine Timing
For generations, the people of Israel waited. Parents became grandparents, grandparents became great-grandparents, and still they waited for God to fulfill His promise of a Messiah. Century after century passed, and the silence from heaven seemed deafening at times.
Yet there were faithful ones who kept showing up, kept believing, kept trusting. Simeon and Anna, two elderly saints in the temple, had lived long lives marked by hardship and disappointment. But they never stopped waiting. They never stopped hoping. And when Mary and Joseph carried the infant Jesus into the temple, these faithful servants recognized Him immediately.

Their joy wasn't simply about finally seeing the Messiah. It was the profound realization that in all their waiting, God had not forgotten them. He had not been late. He had been right on time.

How often do we find ourselves in seasons of waiting? Waiting for answers. Waiting for healing. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for life to make sense again. We set our timelines and expectations, and when God doesn't show up according to our schedule, we wonder if He's forgotten us.

But Romans 15:13 reminds us: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Hope isn't found in everything being fixed according to our timeline. Hope is found in Christ coming to be with us while we're waiting. The power of the Holy Spirit fills us with joy and peace even in the uncertainty, enabling us to abound in hope because we know we're not waiting alone.

Peace in the Middle of the Storm
When the angels appeared to the shepherds in the middle of the night, their first words were "Do not be afraid." The shepherds had every reason to be afraid—supernatural beings suddenly appearing would terrify anyone. But the angels didn't say there was nothing to be afraid of. They said, "Do not fear, a savior has been born."

This distinction matters profoundly.

Fear is part of being human. Fear of the future. Fear of loss. Fear of not being enough. Fear of tomorrow. The list goes on and on. Peace doesn't come because life suddenly gets easy. Peace doesn't come because all our fears are removed or proven unfounded.
Peace comes because Jesus shows up.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace—not peace that means nothing ever hurts, not peace that guarantees a conflict-free existence, but peace that settles deep in our souls and whispers that we are not alone with whatever we're facing.

Philippians 4:7 promises that "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This peace guards us. It protects our hearts and minds when storms rage around us and within us.

Many of us are walking through storms this season. We feel tired, overwhelmed, worn down by life's challenges. But Christmas tells us that peace isn't found in the storm stopping. Peace is found in Christ standing with us in that storm.

Walking Through Broken Glass
When sin first entered the world through Adam and Eve, it was as if they dropped a glass punch bowl that shattered into a million pieces, covering the earth. Sin's brokenness touched everything, corrupted everything, left sharp edges everywhere.

When Jesus came, He didn't hover above that broken glass. He didn't wait in heaven for someone to clean up the mess before making His entrance. No, He stepped right into it. He walked through the broken glass with us.

The miracle? He never cut His foot. He never sinned. But He experienced everything else we experience.

Jesus knows our grief because He grieved. He knows our doubts. He knows what it means to celebrate life and experience loss. He understands hunger, exhaustion, sorrow, and joy. He walked through life the same way we do—except without sin.

This is the profound beauty of the Incarnation. God didn't send a message or a prophet or an army. He sent Himself, wrapped in human flesh, to walk through our broken world with us.

Becoming the Light
In John 13:34-35, Jesus gives us clear instructions: "Love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

So where do we see Christ in our world today? Not just in nativity scenes and Christmas services, but in everyday life?

We see Christ whenever love breaks through the darkness. We see Him when someone chooses kindness instead of anger, forgiveness instead of revenge, patience in a moment that could have gone very differently.

We see Christ in the quiet faithfulness that never makes headlines—in parents who keep showing up even when exhausted, in caregivers who sit beside hospital beds, in teachers who stay late, in neighbors who bring meals without being asked.

We see Christ in acts of compassion in shelters, food pantries, foster homes, and adoption stories. In volunteers who serve week after week simply because somebody matters.
And here's the beautiful part: when Christ lives in us, we become the ways the world sees Him. When we live out love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy toward our neighbors, coworkers, family members, and friends, the world gets a chance to see Jesus in us.
Light doesn't rush the darkness away or argue with it. It simply shines, and the darkness cannot overcome it. It only takes one candle to begin changing everything. Then that light spreads from one person to another, from neighbor to neighbor.

That's how Christ came into the world, and that's how His light still moves today.

The Call to Come and See
The invitation of Christmas is simple: come and see. Like the shepherds who left their flocks to witness what had happened. Like the wise men who followed a star across deserts and mountains. Like Mary who treasured these things in her heart.

The good news of Christmas is that Jesus Christ has come. He is here. He is Emmanuel—God with us. And He will come again.

In our waiting, He waits with us. In our struggles, He walks beside us. In our brokenness, He meets us right where we are. And He calls us to be His light in the world, showing others the love, grace, hope, and peace that can only be found in Him.

This Christmas, may we rediscover not just the story, but the living reality of Christ with us, in us, and working through us to light up a dark world.