The Shepherd's Desk
Christmas Letter 2025
A King Is Born, A Child Is Given.
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
At the heart of every Christmas season is a story that changed the world: the announcement to Mary recorded in Luke 1:26–38. In those simple, startling verses an ordinary young woman is told by an angel that she will bear a child who is both Son of God and the promised ruler of Israel. That annunciation captures the mystery of the Incarnation—God breaking into human history—and it also frames for the church what this season means: not merely remembrance, but recognition of the birth and potential of the Messiah King and Redeemer for all humanity.
The prophets had long anticipated this moment. Isaiah spoke of a child born who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6–7), and Micah pointed to Bethlehem as the small town from which a shepherd-king would come (Micah 5:2). The Gospels show these threads coming together in Jesus: Matthew records the fulfillment of prophetic promise as Joseph is reassured in a dream (Matthew 1:18–25), and John tells us in the theological prologue that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Luke’s account of the angel’s words to Mary—“for nothing will be impossible with God”—frames the birth of Jesus as both miracle and the inauguration of God’s saving action.
For the church, Christmas is more than nostalgia or seasonal sentimentality. It is a theological and pastoral hinge: the moment that reveals God’s way of ruling and redeeming. The Messiah arrives not as a distant monarch but as a vulnerable child, signaling that God’s kingship operates through humility, incarnation, and solidarity with the weak (see Philippians 2:5–11; Galatians 4:4–5). The Redeemer who comes to save is the one who willingly takes on human flesh to reconcile humanity to God and to one another.
This has practical implications for congregational life. First, worship at Christmas must attend both to wonder and to responsibility. We celebrate the miracle of God with us, yet that miracle compels justice, mercy, and witness. The church is called to embody the same humility and sacrificial love that mark the Nativity—caring for the marginalized, feeding the hungry, and opening hospitality to those without home or hope. Second, Mary’s faithful “yes” is a model for discipleship: the church should cultivate obedience born of trust, ready to say yes to God’s unexpected invitations even when they disrupt plans. Third, the proclamation of Christ’s arrival remains central: as the shepherds went out to tell what they had seen, so the church proclaims the good news that the Redeemer has come and that his reign brings restoration.
Finally, Christmas points the church toward the future. The birth of the Messiah is not an endpoint but the first chapter of God’s redemptive work—one that culminates in reconciliation, renewal, and the promise that all things will be made right. The Incarnation assures us that God acts decisively in history; the resurrection and promised consummation guarantee that God’s purposes will prevail. Meanwhile, the church is entrusted with living and showing the reality of that kingdom now: in worship, in service, and in faithful hope.
This Christmas, then, the church is invited to stand with Mary in wonder, to act with the humility of the newborn King, and to labor toward the reconciliation his birth initiated. Celebrating the Incarnation means more than marking an event—it means embodying the reign and redemption that began in Bethlehem and will one day be fulfilled in glory. For nothing will be impossible with God; the church’s task is to live that truth into the world.
A Blessed Christmas To All,
Dr. Patrick Vossen
Founding Pastor, Covenant of Grace Ministry & Fellowship, Inc.
