When December Isn’t Merry

12-11-25 Drew Narmour-YBL Jackson Director

When December Isn’t Merry

December is supposed to be a season of joy, but for many, it’s the most stressful time of year. Small businesses hinge on holiday sales to survive. Nonprofits shoulder the pressure of year-end donations. For those that have experienced job loss this year, the holidays can intensify that pain. It’s easy for the stresses of the season to drown out the joy we’re supposed to be celebrating. Yet, the prophet Isaiah offers hope:

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

(Isaiah 11:1-2)

By the time Jesus arrived, calling Israel a “stump” was generous. The nation was under Roman occupation. The royal line of David, once filled with Kings in palaces, had been reduced to two impoverished teenagers from an obscure town. What once looked like a hopeful setting for the birth of the messiah was anything but.

But this is when God chose to send His Son. The greatest miracle took place not at a time of stability and power, but in a situation that looked from the outside like weakness and failure.

We can take comfort in this when our own circumstances feel uncertain. If God brought the savior into the world through these conditions, then we can be confident he will sustain us when through our own struggles.

The nativity also reminds us that our greatest problem has already been settled in Christ. He condescended from heaven to a feeding trough so that he could begin the work of redeeming his people from the punishment we deserve. Though our circumstances are difficult, they are not ultimate.

C.S. Lewis captures this idea at the end of The Last Battle:

“It seems, then,” said Tirian, smiling himself, “that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.”

“Yes,” said the Lord Digory. “Its inside is bigger than its outside.”

“Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”

Though the outside looked small, inside was the hope of the world. Hope big enough for any season.