There is nothing quite like the magic of Christmas! Every year we enter into this season by hearing familiar tunes and seeing wondrous sights. This brings us into an almost make-believe reality. Snow appears on storefronts and children proclaim dreams of a white Christmas—even in places where it is statistically unlikely to happen. When the wonder of Christmas enters our minds, we even see life through Hallmark movie lenses. Gazebos in public spaces suddenly begin to make sense and people we thought were just sour gain a backstory—and new light. But sustaining this sugar-filled reality is not easy. At some point, the movie ends and we return to the drudgery of everyday life, then we begin to countdown to next Christmas when the magic is set to return. We wait, oftentimes, in darkness because the world with its holiday celebrations tell us that light is always temporary. But Christmas is much more than a moment in time to be remembered. Christmas is more than a commercial celebration to be enjoyed. Christmas is a radical change in reality that calls all of us to permanently see the world through a divine perspective where light shines into darkness; a reality where peace and goodwill to all people are proclaimed by angels.

As we arrive at the close of this year, which has been filled with challenges, seeing a reality of light, peace, and goodwill might be difficult. Our minds don’t have to travel very far to relate to Isaiah’s image of darkness.  No amount of poetic language can hide the fact that nine full months of pandemic, social distancing, financial uncertainty, online schooling, the loss of loved ones, loneliness, grief, and so much more have taken a toll in our lives. Perhaps more than in other years, this year it feels that darkness has truly become a part of our story. We are not alone in this. The prophet Isaiah, seeing the reality of war, suffering, and oppression around the nation proclaims God’s word, which tells the people, the time of darkness is behind for something new is happening. Something wonderful! Those who lived an existence of darkness can rejoice, for light has come—a light that shines brightly. A light that is revealed through the birth of a baby.

Throughout the centuries Christians have looked at these words of Isaiah in light of the birth of the Christ Child—an event that radically changed the world. People of faith in the vast theological spectrum may disagree on many things, but all of us proclaim that we stand here today not because of a political or military proclamation. We stand together on this day because God came into our world through Christ, bringing light into all the dark corners of human experience. The story of Christmas moves us beyond the binary options of a Hallmark movie reality or an existence in darkness. The story of Christmas brings hope and light into our lives because here we realize the depth of God’s love for us: God took on human form and lived among us. God’s love and salvation for all humanity were made visible in a baby. This is an amazing story because babies, as cute as they are, are not known for their amazing capabilities. Much to the contrary, they are small, vulnerable, helpless, and totally dependent on another to survive. Christ’s entrance into the world as a fragile baby is a decisive statement to the powers that seek to claim sovereignty over our lives. In Christ, God was doing something new.

The writer of Luke does not hide the story of Christ in rhetorical maneuvering. Instead, Luke places the story of Jesus in the realities of his world. Luke tells us that due to a government mandate Joseph and Mary had to travel almost 90 miles, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, so they could be counted. Tax-collecting in those days was an outsourced service. The only way to know how much revenue to expect was by having an accurate count of the population. So, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary journey on to his ancestral land—the city of David. Their journey was like the journey