As we enter the Christmas season and look back on 2024 and forward to 2025, we cannot help but feel privileged and honored that we get to be a part of this Christmas story that unfolded around 2000 years ago. I can imagine the shock on Mary’s facing on encountering the angel, of the shepherds shocked as hosts of heaven celebrated the birth of Jesus, of the jealousy of Herod at the discovery of Jesus, at the dreams of Joseph. And many other facets to the story, we all cannot help but feel privileged as we continue to participate in this Good News of the greatest act of humility by God of becoming human form to reconnect man and God and redeem the lost kingdom to make it His own once again.

As we celebrate all of these festive events and the birth of Jesus, I can’t help but remember the undertones of what was said about Him, of the declarations. Why was Herod jealous? Because a new king was here. How did the angel describe Jesus to His future mother? The great king that would sit on the throne of David would be her son. The shepherds discovered the savior and messiah from the angels. The undertones of Christmas were ones of revolution, of a complete overthrow of how the world had operated for the last 4000+ years. What an incredible moment! Yet today, this overturning of life continues in our world and we are apart of this. Over the last year, we have graduated students from all walks of life on almost every continent, in third world, developing, and first world countries, of areas of religious freedom and persecution, of pre-Christian, Christian, and post Christian regions. So diverse, yet the Gospel transforms all, Jesus rules and saves all, and the revolution continues in every area. What a privilege and honor that all of us continue to carry on the story of Christmas, that the proclamation of the angels, the savior and messiah for the world, is becoming a deeper reality in the world today.

So as we celebrate, in the middle of parties, and family, and presents and church events, let us not forget, more than anything, Christmas was the start or a revolution, of a new way of life, that we can continue participating in to this day.