Need: Box full of Christmas decorations, a torch, a candle
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Opening: Setting the Scene
(walk up holding a box of Christmas decorations.)
Well, it’s that time of year again.
The Christmas adverts are on, the lights are going up, and the shops are playing that same song —
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”
And we’re all supposed to nod along and think, “Yes, it really is!”
Except sometimes….. it doesn’t feel like Christmas at all, does it?
We’re told it’s the season to be jolly — but for many people, it’s more like the season to be stressed.
We see perfect families on TV
meanwhile, we’re just hoping everyone in ours will get through Christmas dinner without an argument!
The truth is, Christmas comes with a lot of pressure to feel a certain way.
To be joyful, warm, and ….. Christmassy.
But what if you don’t feel it this year?
What if it’s been a tough season, or you’re just weary?
That’s what today’s message is about — learning that Christmas is more than a feeling.
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Visual 1: The Decoration Box
(Open the box and lift out a few things — lights, tinsel, a candle, etc.)
We sometimes think if we unpack enough of this — lights, tinsel, candles, and mince pies —
we’ll somehow find the Christmas feeling.
But when we look in the box and it’s empty… sometimes we still feel the same.
Because the truth is —
those things can make Christmas beautiful,
but they can’t make it meaningful.
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Transition: Feelings Fade
We live in a world that’s built around feelings — advertising, social media, entertainment — all playing on emotion.
And don’t get me wrong, feelings are good!
They’re part of being human.
But feelings are not always reliable. You can wake up one morning - full of faith, singing worship songs in the shower and then the car won’t start, the boiler packs up, and suddenly you’re not feeling so spiritual anymore!
Our emotions change.
But the message of Christmas is that God doesn’t.
Faith that lasts isn’t built on how we feel — it’s built on who God is.
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Mary’s Story – From Fear to Trust
In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary.
Her first reaction?
• Not peace.
• Not joy.
• Verse 29 says she was “greatly troubled.”
I think we’d all be troubled if an angel suddenly appeared in our living room!
But as she listens, she hears this promise:
“You will give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus… The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.”
It’s a huge, impossible message — but Mary responds with faith:
“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
She didn’t say, “I feel ready.”
She didn’t say, “This all makes perfect sense.”
She simply said, “I trust You.”
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Visual 2: Candle and Torch
(Bring out a small candle and a torch or phone light.)
Here’s a little picture that helps me.
Our feelings are like this candle —
Our feelings flicker, they change with the wind.
(Light it, then gently blow near it so it wobbles.)
But God’s word is like this torch — steady, strong, not easily blown out.
(Turn on the torch, hold them both side by side.)
Both give light, but only one is steady.
When our emotions flicker, God’s promises shine steady.
(Pause for effect, then switch off the torch and candle.)
That’s why Christmas is more than a feeling that wobbles.
It’s about trusting a God whose presence is constant, even when our emotions aren’t.
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Applying This Personally
So let’s make this practical.
Maybe this season, you’re feeling tired, anxious, or not particularly festive.
Remember — that’s okay.
You don’t have to feel full of joy to have faith.
Faith is what happens when you choose to trust God even when you don’t feel it.
Like Mary, you can say, “Lord, I don’t understand it all — but I’m still yours.”
Here are three small ways we can practise that this week:
1 When you feel overwhelmed, stop and pray quietly: “Lord You are with me. Help me to stand in Your presence”
2 When you don’t feel joyful, remind yourself: God’s promise hasn’t changed.
3 When you’re tempted to hide behind a fake smile, be honest with God — He meets you where you are, -
not where you pretend to be.
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Anyone else ever had a Christmas meltdown?
You know the kind —
• the gravy’s boiling over,
• the dog’s eaten the mince pies,
• the batteries for the kids’ presents have gone missing, and
• someone’s burnt the parsnips.
Those are the moments we discover:
God is with us - even in the chaos.
The first Christmas wasn’t calm and sparkly either.
It was noisy, messy, uncomfortable —
and right in the middle of it all, God came near.
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Closing Reflection
So maybe this year, instead of chasing the Christmas feeling,
we could rest in the Christmas truth:
God is with us.
And when we trust His promise, that’s when real peace begins
— not the kind that depends on mood or music,
but the kind that lasts long after the decorations come down.
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Key Verse
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her.”
— Luke 1:45
ViD SONG: Mary’s Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpD754juFdM)
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Closing Prayer
Lord, when our feelings rise and fall,
help us to rest in Your unchanging love.
When we don’t feel the joy we expected,
remind us that You are with us.
Give us peace that goes deeper than emotion —
peace that lasts, because it’s built on Your word.
Amen.
