Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25, 2025)

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(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

Christmas Day marks the end of Advent. If your church is like ours, though, the Christmas season continues for a couple of weeks until Epiphany, giving us an excuse to continue to sing the wonderful songs of Christmas until early January.

On the radio and in retail stores, of course, things are a bit different. Tomorrow the Christmas music that has been playing non-stop since…well, October, it seems, will be gone. Christmas items in the stores will be pushed to the clearance aisle. And chances are, it won’t be long until we’re staring down boxes of chocolate and romantic gifts to get us in a Valentine’s mood. Let’s face it: Christmas ends pretty quickly.

And that’s a shame.

In 1973 the American theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman published a book called “The Mood of Christmas.” It is a collection of brief spiritual reflections and meditations rooted in the Christmas season but not limited to it. In this book, Thurman emphasizes that Christmas is not just a festival of lights and gifts but a mood—a profound sense of hope, compassion, celebration, and love that should permeate everyday life. Through meditations on life and Scripture, alongside beautiful poems, Thurman invites readers to recognize and cultivate this spiritual mood in ordinary moments throughout the year.

Today, as we finish this devotional, I’d like to offer you two of Thurman’s poems set to music. One is called “I Will Light Candles This Christmas,” which encourages us to carry the light of Christmas into the entire year, shining peace, faith, and hope into a word which so desperately needs it. In “The Work of Christmas,” Thurman reminds us that the the true work of Christmas is the mission of Christ, which knows no calendar or season but continues at all times in every place.

Composer Kim André Arnesen has woven both of these poems into a single choral anthem that is sublime and resonant. There are no reflection questions to pair with this piece. You are invited to simply listen and read, and let Thurman’s words guide you into prayer.

It’s our hope that this devotional has blessed you this Christmas season. Now as we finish, it’s our prayer that the blessings which God has bestowed on us during this Advent journey will give birth to something beautiful and real that we can carry into the world each and every day. As one writer once put it:

“At Christmas, the grace of God appears.
The rest of the year is learning how to live in its light.”

Merry Christmas and may Christ’s peace go with you into this New Year.

Scripture for Meditation:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”—Titus 2:11-14 (NRSV)

Song: I Will Light Candles This Christmas (lyrics below)

I will light Candles this Christmas;
Candles of joy despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.

—Howard Thurman, from his book “The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations”

Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24, 2025)

If you’re new to Advent Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Advent Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

Tonight an unbelievable amount of Christmas carols will be sung around the world. For this pentultimate devotional in the past I’ve traditionally uploaded well-known carols as a way of entering into Christmas Eve worship. But it strikes me - chances are, you will hear and sing a lot of carols today. You don’t need another version of “O Holy Night” or “Silent Night” to listen to on this page.

This devotional was born four years ago out of a desire to provide space for spiritual formation during this important season, using music as a way to give space for stillness, breath, rest, and reflection. Through it all there is one central hope - that as we celebrate Christ’s birth we also sense Christ being born in us in new and deeper ways. After all, that is the true invitation of Advent and Christmas.

To that end, on this Christmas Eve you are invited to sit with a song that captures this theme better than any I’ve ever heard. Like yesterday’s song, it is sung from the perspective of Mary as she contemplates what is about to happen with the arrival of Jesus. But this time, instead of praying for strength, she is praying…for transformation. Her plea in this song is our plea as well: be born in me.

You and I will never face the situation Mary faced - we will never bear what she was asked to bear. But the image of Mary submitting to God and offering herself to be a vessel for Christ is a picture for us of our own journey. She models obedience and openness in a way that challenges and inspires us. The writers of this song capture her willingness in such poetic language: make my heart your Bethlehem.

So I invite you, before you take that final step into Bethlehem, to sit with the lyrics and beauty of this song and make Mary’s prayer your own. Below the video of the song are the lyrics for you to read (the lyrics are also embedded in the video). As you listen, pray. And as you pray, pay attention to where the call and invitation of God speak to you most clearly. Let that guide you as you offer ask Him to show you what the next couple of days might be for you.

The only thing our heart can offer is a vacancy.

Scripture for Meditation:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”—Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)

Song: Be Born in Me (lyrics below and embedded in video)

Everything inside me cries for order
Everything inside me wants to hide
Is this shadow an angel or a warrior?
If God is pleased with me, why I am I so terrified?
Someone tell me I am only dreaming
Somehow help me see with Heaven’s eyes
And before my head agrees, my heart is on its knees
Holy is He. Blessed am I

Be born in me
Be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe
That You chose me
I’ll hold you in the beginning
You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle
Make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

All this time we’ve waited for the promise
All this time You’ve waited for my arms
Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
So we might know that Love would go that far?

Be born in me
Be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe
That You chose me
I’ll hold you in the beginning
You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle
Make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

I am not brave
I’ll never be
The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy
I’m just a girl
Nothing more
But I am willing, I am Yours

Be born in me
Be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe
That You chose me
I’ll hold you in the beginning
You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle
Make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

Twenty-Fourth Day of Advent (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)

If you’re new to Advent Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Advent Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

The day before Christmas Eve. What does it mean for you?

For many people it is a day of tremendous activity and even pressure. Some are traveling, braving busy airports and crowded highways. Others are getting last-minute gift shopping done, while others are frantically cleaning the house for expected company. At work there are last-minute responsibilities that beg for attention, and we begin to wonder which of them can be put off until after the holiday. For those in ministry there are worship services to plan, volunteers to contact, messages to prepare, and in the midst of it all we are often reminded how pastoral needs do not follow a holiday calendar.

As we turn the corner of our Advent journey and see Bethlehem just ahead, it seems that the closer we find ourselves the more things get in the way of our final steps. In that light, as our final “regular” devotional before Christmas Eve, we’d like to give you a gift: some space to breathe.

Breath is such a powerful image in Scripture. It’s the breath of God that gifts life to humanity. The psalmist uses imagery of breathing to describe the creation of the entire cosmos. Jesus breathes on his disciples as an invitation to receive the Holy Spirit. Breath, in Scripture, is creative, restorative, and life-giving.

As we rush around in these final days of Advent, we need to catch our breath. But more than that - we need to receive the gift of God’s refreshing that comes from stillness and rest in his presence. Our song for today reflects that need in a beautiful way: by putting us in the mindset of Mary, who had to feel overwhelmed as the birth of the child given to her by God approached. The lyrics capture powerfully what she might have been thinking as she and Joseph saw Bethlehem coming near:

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

The song’s refrain, “Breath of heaven, hold me together,” is one we do well to pray as Christmas draws near. If you find yourself feeling swept up in the busy-ness of these days, consider taking a few moments when you are most overwhelmed to simply stop and breathe. Below you will find a few verses of Scripture you can pray as you breathe in and out, inviting God to bring his calm and peace so that the truth of this season can outshine the to-do list.

Or maybe you simply pray the refrain of today’s song:

Breath of heaven, hold me together.

Scripture for Meditation:

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”—Job 33:4 (NIV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.”—Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”—Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Song: Breath of Heaven (lyrics here)

Questions for Contemplation:

How can you intentional carve out time in the next couple of days to personally connect with God and receive the gift of his presence? Spend some time reflecting on how that gift is a result of the day we celebrate.

For some, these days are the opposite of busy and stressful. Some find their Christmas quiet and still not by choice, but by circumstance. If that is where you find yourself, how have you sensed God’s comforting presence in this season? If you know others who are struggling with illness and loneliness this season, how might God be inviting you to offer intercessory prayer for them?

Spend some time considering these petitions found in today’s song. Which resonates most with you? Why? Offer it to God and spend some time in stillness, trusting in him to answer.

—Hold me together
—Be forever near me
—Lighten my darkness
—Pour over me your holiness

Twenty-Third Day of Advent (Monday, December 22nd, 2025)

If you’re new to Advent Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Advent Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Starting today, each day gains a little more light than the last.

I never appreciated the idea of longer days until we first moved to Scotland in 1994. When the dead of winter hit that first year, it became a real struggle as the sun would begin to disappear mid-afternoon, leaving it completely dark by early evening. I learned quickly that it could have a profound effect on my mood and spirit. This reality of living here in December was captured well in this post I saw online yesterday:

It’s funny because it’s true

Of course, we know that Jesus probably wasn’t born in December. It’s unlikely that the Roman census would take place in winter, when travel would be more difficult. The fact that the shepherds were in the fields at night points to it more likely being spring. And yet the early church chose December 25th for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Why is that?

There are a lot of reasons behind that decision, but the one that resonates most with me is that the early church leaders saw great symbolism in proclaiming the coming of God’s light at the time when the darkness in much of the world is most intense. It was a way of demonstrating in a literal way the truth of Isaiah’s prophecy:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”—Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)

This Advent imagery of light coming into darkness is lived out in many ways during the season. The most common expression is one you might see on Sundays in worship with the lighting of Advent candles. In a few days many of us will gather in churches for a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. These are precious traditions, but for me they hit even more powerfully these past few years because the darkness seems so strong right now. Not only in a literal sense, but you can feel a darkness of spirit and soul in so many these days. Perhaps you even feel it yourself. Even those of you reading these from the Southern Hemisphere, while it may not be the case outside, can no doubt sense the darkness that threatens to overwhelm us within.

With that in mind, today you are invited to a different kind of song reflection. Today’s song is not a carol or even a traditional worship song. It is simply a verse of Scripture set to music. But perhaps as we approach Christmas this week we need to simply sit with this promise of Scripture: that in Jesus was life and light. Whatever darkness is threatening the world or our soul, it shall not have the final word.

Scripture for Meditation:

” In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”—John 1:4-5 (NRSV)

Song: John 8:12
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
You are the light of the world. Whoever follows you will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Questions for Contemplation:

What darkness do you sense in the world right now? In your own soul? How is God inviting you to prayer in the midst of that darkness? How is he demonstrating his light?

Spend some time in intercessory prayer for those you know who are experiencing darkness in a profound way right now: those for whom this season reminds them of loss and can stir a deep level of sadness or loneliness. Pray that God’s light would be shown to them in new, unexpected, and powerful ways.

Read this verse slowly and prayerfully. How does it speak to you as we approach Christmas?

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”—2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Sunday, December 21st 2025)

If you’re new to Advent Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Advent Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

On Sundays during Advent we sit with an instrumental version of a popular carol. There is no written devotional for the day, just an invitation to ponder the words of the carol (found after the video) in a spirit of prayer and listening. What is God’s invitation for you in these words? How do they fill you with hope, with peace, with joy, or with love? What words or phrases in this carol move you to prayer and worship?

Song: What Child is This?

Carol Lyrics

What Child is this who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
This this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste haste to bring Him laud
The Babe the Son of Mary

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding
Good Christian fear for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading
Nails spear shall pierce Him through
The cross be borne for me for you
Hail hail the Word made flesh
The Babe the Son of Mary

So bring Him incense gold and myrrh
Come peasant king to own Him
The King of kings salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him
Raise raise the song on high
The Virgin sings her lullaby
Joy joy for Christ is born
The Babe the Son of Mary

Unknown | William Chatterton Dix

Twenty-First Day of Advent (Saturday, December 20th, 2025)

If you’re new to Advent Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Advent Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—due to copyright, versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

The phrase “Do not be afraid” sits right at the center of the Christmas story. Most people associate it with the appearances of the angels to Mary, Joseph and the shepherds, who were struggling to understand the story unfolding right in front of their eyes. The angels assure them that what is happening is God’s plan, and that they do not need to be afraid, as strange as it all may seem.

It’s often been said that the most common command God gives in the Bible is “Don’t be afraid.” You can find some form of that command hundreds of times in the pages of Scripture, in phrases like:

• Do not fear

• Do not be afraid

• Be anxious for nothing

• Do not worry

• Do not be dismayed

As one preacher has said, it is the easiest command to find in the Bible, yet the most difficult to obey. No doubt God felt a need to repeat this command so many times because God knows we struggle with fear on a daily basis. Fear is a primal part of our human existence, and serves as the root of so many of our negative emotions and harmful actions. How wonderful to know that God has not left us alone in our fear, and that when we hear those words in the Christmas story, it’s not just for Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds—it’s for us as well.

Six centuries before Christ was born the prophet Zephaniah penned these words:

“Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.
On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, ‘Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’”
—Zephaniah 3:14-17 (NLT)

Through the prophet God encourages us to rejoice, and he give us good reason to do so: judgment is no more and the enemy is defeated. You might think that’s enough to disperse our fear, but even then we might worry: what if the hand of judgment returns? What if the enemy regroups and comes back to attack once more?

That’s where Zephaniah gives a compelling reason why we need no longer fear: “The Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you!” And then again: “The Lord your God is living among you…with his love, he will calm all your fears.” This isn’t about a temporary victory—this is about the victor himself taking up residence with us so that we might know his comforting strength at all times, no matter what we might face.

When we are young, what is the perfect antidote to our fear? It is being with those in whose presence we feel most safe. It’s knowing that as long as we are with them, no matter what comes our way…we are not alone. I can remember running into my parents’ bedroom after having a nightmare, and just hearing their voices saying, “It will be okay” was enough to calm me down so I could get back to sleep.

The Christmas story is all about the presence of God. It’s God “living among us” and calming our fears with his love. Thanks to the birth of Christ, and now the presence of his Spirit, we know that whatever we may face…we are not alone. The God of the Universe is on our side, and has come to be with us.

Do not be afraid.

Scripture for Meditation:

”The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.”—Psalm 27:1-6 (NIV)

Song: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (lyrics here)
Again, we have a song that is sung to different tunes in different places. The second video uses the tune often used for “Come Thou Fount of Ev’ry Blessing” and also includes an additional verse often missing from other versions.

TUNE: Hyfrydol

TUNE: Nettleton
(you can read the additional lyrics here)

Questions for Contemplation:

When you hear the words, “Don’t be afraid,” can you receive them and rest in them? Do you trust them and the One who speaks them? Offer to God any fears that push back against those words and let his presence minister to you in your fears.

What practices or disciplines help you to rest in the knowledge that God is with you, that he abides with you to watch over you, comfort you, and protect you? Is there something you can build into your day to remind you of his presence when fear threatens to overtake you?

What does the phrase, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life” speak to you? Spend some time in grateful prayer for the ways God has been a stronghold for you.