Christmas is over. The lights are still up, but the magic is fading fast. And if we are honest, the Christmas story itself gets dark fast. After the wise men leave, an angel warns Joseph to flee. Herod orders the murder of innocent children. Mary and Joseph became refugees in Egypt. This is not the story we put on Christmas cards. Yet it is part of the story of Jesus. God with us does not mean God protects us from every hard thing. It means God is present in every hard thing. This week, as we step into a new year, we will see that even in the darkest moments of the Christmas story, God was faithful. Jesus came into a weary, broken, dangerous world. And He is still with us.

Christmas is here. The waiting is over. The One we have longed for has arrived. His name is Immanuel. God with us. Not God far away. Not God watching from a distance. God with us. Right here. In the mess. In the joy. In the weariness. In the celebration. Jesus is God's promise kept. God's love made visible. God's presence made real. Today we celebrate the greatest gift ever given. A Savior. A King. A Friend. God Himself, wrapped in flesh, laid in a manger, given for us. The weary world rejoices because Immanuel has come. And He will never leave us.

Christmas Eve is the night we have been waiting for. The night heaven touched earth. The night God became flesh and entered our weary world. There was no room in the inn. No grand announcement. No comfort or fanfare. Just a young mother, a newborn King, and a feeding trough. Jesus arrived in the most ordinary, humble way possible. And that is the beauty of it. God did not wait for us to clean up our mess. He came into the mess. He came into the weariness. He came for us. Tonight, we gather to celebrate the arrival of the One who changes everything. The weary world rejoices!

The fourth candle of Advent is Love. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Love is not a feeling. Love is a person. Love is God stepping into our mess, our sin, and our weariness and saying, I will not leave you. The birth of Jesus is the ultimate act of love. God became flesh and moved into our neighborhood. This week, we prepare to celebrate Christmas by remembering that Love came down at Christmas, and that Love has a name: Jesus.

The third candle of Advent is Joy. Joy is not happiness that depends on circumstances. Joy is the deep, unshakable gladness that comes from knowing we are loved by God. The shepherds received good news of great joy. Mary sang of a God who lifts the lowly. Simeon held the infant Messiah and declared he could now depart in peace. Joy is woven into the story of Jesus' birth because Jesus Himself is the source of our joy. This week, we will discover how to access joy even when life is hard and the season feels heavy.

The second candle of Advent is Peace. The angels announced peace on earth, but the wars still rage. Violence continues. Relationships fracture. Anxiety grows. So what kind of peace did Jesus bring? The peace of Jesus is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of God in the middle of it. Jesus is our peace with God and our peace with one another. This week, we will see how the Prince of Peace offers rest for our souls even when the world around us is anything but calm.

Thanksgiving is the doorway into God's presence. The psalmist invites us to come before God not first with complaints or requests, but with gratitude. Why? Because gratitude reminds us who God is. He is good. His love endures. His faithfulness continues. When we approach God with thanksgiving, we acknowledge His track record and character. This posture changes how we pray, how we see our lives, and how we move through the world. As we prepare for Thanksgiving week, we will practice gratitude as worship and trust God to meet us in our praise.