Christmas Eve 2025
There’s Hope
Dr. Marty Baker | Luke 2:8-14 | December 23/24, 2025
Merry Christmas and welcome to Stevens Creek Church. I also want to welcome our Grovetown Campus, our South Campus and our North Augusta Campus. I also want to welcome those of you watching online.
How many of you are from out of town? Let me see your hands. We’re really glad you’re here. People have been traveling at Christmas for a long time — ever since Mary and Joseph made that journey to Bethlehem.
Now, if we’re honest, just getting here tonight took some effort. Some of you fought traffic. Some of you wrestled kids into holiday clothes they didn’t want to wear. Some of you were trying to get out the door on time while holding everything together.
And yet — you made it. You’re here.
Now, if you’ve been around Stevens Creek for any length of time, you know I like to start with something funny.
Did you hear about the man walking on the beach right before Christmas? He’s exhausted. He’s stressed. Credit cards are maxed out. Still missing a few gifts. Finally, he prays, “Lord, I need a Christmas miracle.”
Suddenly, God speaks and says, “My son, what do you want?” The man says, “Lord, I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii for Christmas, but I’m afraid to fly. So, I want You to build a bridge across the Pacific Ocean.”
There’s a long pause. Finally, God says, “Son… that’s a lot of concrete. A lot of man-hours. Can you think of something else?”
The man says, “Okay, Lord. Then help me understand my wife. How she thinks. How she feels. And what she actually wants for Christmas.”
And God says, “Tell me more about that bridge… do you want two lanes or four lanes?”
We laugh — because it touches something real.
December has a way of reminding us how little control we actually have. And that’s why we cling so tightly to our traditions — the trees, the lights, the music. They bring a little normal into the middle of the crazy.
Whether you’re trying to make the magic happen for your kids, or you’re navigating this season on your own, we are all looking for that same feeling.
But here’s the truth. December is what I call the great magnifier. When life is good, it magnifies the good.
But when life has been heavy, December makes it feel heavier. An empty chair feels emptier. Financial pressure feels more urgent. Questions you thought you had settled start coming back.
You drive past houses glowing with lights and think, They must be having the perfect Christmas.
But behind every perfect photo is a real story.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, some of you walked in tonight and started looking around thinking, These people have it all together. This isn’t really my world.
Can I tell you something? You’d be surprised who you’re sitting next to. You’re surrounded by people who’ve walked through divorce, addiction, doubt, and regret.
But Jesus changed them – not because they were perfect, but because they mattered to Him.
This is the Story of Christmas.
God didn’t send His Son for the polished and the put-together. He came for the weary and the worn out.
Most of us come into Christmas hoping for a miracle that fixes our circumstances — a way out, a break, a bridge to somewhere easier.
But the message of Christmas isn’t about God building a bridge for us to escape. It’s about God building a bridge to us — right where we are.
And that’s why I love the original Christmas story.
We picture it as calm and quiet — a silent night, a peaceful scene.
But the first Christmas was anything but perfect. It was messy. It was complicated. It was chaotic.
A poor couple on a forced road trip. A baby born in a stable because there was no room.
And right there — in the middle of the mess — God showed up. That’s what God does. He doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. He steps into imperfect ones.
And if God could bring hope into that kind of world, He can bring hope into your world too.
Big Idea
Christmas reminds us that no matter how dark or broken life feels, there is hope because Jesus has come.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds that night, they gave us a glimpse of what real hope looks like. We pick up the story in Luke 2.
Luke 2:8-11
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
When the angel spoke that night, he didn’t give a long explanation. He didn’t preach a sermon.
He used just a few words — but those words changed everything.
"Now, think about those four phrases the angel used: Fear Not. Good News. Great Joy. All People.
These aren’t just nice holiday sentiments. These four phrases are the specific antidotes to what I call 'The December Weight'—that heavy pressure this month puts on everything in your life.
You see, that December Weight has a way of making your fear feel overwhelming and permanent; but the Angel steps in and says, 'Fear Not.' That weight makes the bad news of this past year feel much heavier than it really is; but the Angel looks you in the eye tonight and says, 'I bring you Good News.'
Christmas isn't about God standing at a distance and asking you to get your life together or polish up your act. It’s about God seeing your mess, hearing your heartbeat, and stepping right into the middle of your fear."
• “Fear not.”
• “Good news.”
• “Great joy.”
• “For all people.”
Four short phrases. And every one of them was needed that night — and every one of them is still needed tonight.
Christmas isn’t God asking us to get our lives together. It’s Him bringing good news into a broken world and making it clear—this gift is for all people.
So, from this story in Luke 2, let’s look at four ways this hope actually comes alive in us. Here’s the first one.
1. Hope Shines Brightest in the Dark
The shepherds were working the night shift—cold, tired, and unseen. Then suddenly, light broke through the darkness.
Luke 2:8-9
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
The original word for shone is military language that means… a sudden flare.
Think about that for a second. When a soldier in a dark, dangerous field shoots a flare into the sky, it doesn't make the sun come up. It doesn't instantly turn night into day. It’s still night. It’s still cold. The terrain is still difficult.
But that flare changes everything. It reveals the ground you’re standing on. It exposes the enemy's lies and takes away his cover. Most importantly, it shows you the path home.
Maybe you’re here tonight and you’ve been waiting for the "sun to come up" on a situation in your life. You’ve been waiting for God to "fix it," and it’s still dark.
I want you to know that sometimes, God’s first answer isn't the sunrise—it’s a flare. He steps into the dark places of your life and says, “I’m still here”.
That flare doesn't mean the struggle is over, but it means the darkness no longer has the final word. That flare is your hope. It gives you exactly enough light to take the very next step.
If your year has felt long, heavy, or lost, remember this: the darkness cannot put out the light of Christ.
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
You see, hope doesn’t mean we ignore the dark—it means we believe the light is stronger. Here’s the second point
2. Hope doesn’t wait for a perfect moment.
The angels didn’t show up in a palace. They showed up in a field. No spotlight. No status. No influence. Just people doing their jobs.
That’s how God works. He doesn’t wait for the perfect moment; He shows up in ordinary ones.
Even in the quiet corners of your life—school pickup lines, late-night bills, that job that feels unseen—God is near. He still speaks in the small, faithful moments.
God still meets people right where they are. He comes to warehouse workers finishing late, caregivers sitting by a bedside, single parents putting kids to bed, and students who wonder if their life will ever matter.
The first Christmas was for ordinary people doing ordinary things—and that means it’s for you, too.
3. Hope Changes You and it is for everyone.
The shepherds ran to the manger, but they walked away changed.
And maybe that’s what God wants to do in you tonight — not just fill your heart, but redirect your life.
Because when you encounter Jesus, you can’t help but walk back into your world different than yo u came.
Luke 2:20 says,
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
They went back to the same fields, the same sheep, the same long nights—but they were not the same people.
That’s what Jesus still does. He doesn’t just change your circumstances; He changes you.
Because of Christmas, change is possible.
You can have a new heart. A clean slate. A fresh start.
That’s what hope does. And this hope was never meant for a select few.
Luke 2:10
… I bring you good news that will cause great joy that will be for all of the people.
This wasn’t a members-only announcement. It wasn’t for people with a religious résumé. It was for everybody.
For wise kings bringing gifts — of gold, frankincense and myrrh and for humble shepherds with nothing to give.
For people who’ve been in church their whole lives —and for people who aren’t even sure what they believe yet, but they know they need something real.
If that’s you tonight, hear this clearly:
there is hope for you.
• For the addict fighting for recovery.
• For the patient waiting in a hospital room.
• For the student still searching for purpose.
This is the message of Christmas:
There is no barrier God won’t cross to reach you.
He left the highest high — the throne room of heaven — to step into the lowest low — a manger in a stable.
The manger was heaven’s way of saying:
“There is no limit to my love.
No sin I can’t forgive.
No heart I can’t heal.”
No past too broken.
No life too far gone.
At Christmas, God came near — so that hope could be born in you.
Hope has a name.
And His name is Jesus.
Let me say this before we go any further.
I’m not standing up here as someone who has life all figured out. I need this hope too. I’ve had Christmases where I stood in a room full of people and still felt the weight of unanswered prayers.
I need to be reminded that God doesn’t stand at a distance, waiting for me to get stronger or do better.
I need to know He comes near — not just when life is good, but right in the middle of real life.
And if I need that reminder, I know I’m not the only one in this room.
4. Hope Moves Us to Respond.
The shepherds didn’t just hear the message; they acted on it.
Luke 2:15–17
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
They didn’t wait for daylight. They didn’t stop to clean up or make a plan. They ran through the darkness, guided only by the echo of heaven’s voice.
That’s what real hope does—it moves you.
When you’ve truly encountered Jesus, you can’t stay where you are.
• Hope doesn’t whisper, “Stay comfortable.”
• Hope says, “Come and see what God is doing!”
Luke tells us the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. That one word says it all.
Real hope isn’t passive. It doesn’t wait for the perfect moment, the perfect feeling, or the perfect plan.
When you know God has stepped into your story, you respond.
So let me ask you just one question tonight:
What’s the one thing you need God to meet you in right now?
• You don’t have to have all the answers.
• You don’t have to wait until Monday.
• You don’t have to wait for a new year.
• You don’t even have to be strong tonight – just willing.
Just like the shepherds, you can come to Jesus as you are.
They found Him. And you can too.
And when you do, something shifts inside you. That’s the moment hope becomes real.
Maybe that’s why you’re here tonight. You thought you were coming to a Christmas service —
but God brought you here for something more.
Not just to hear a familiar story. But to encounter a living Savior who still changes lives.
Some of you have carried more than anyone knows.
• You’ve smiled through disappointment.
• You showed up tonight when it would have been easier to stay home.
And here’s what I want you to know:
The same Jesus who came to the shepherds has come for you. He sees you. He knows what you’ve been carrying.
And He loves you.
You may feel far from God tonight — but He is not far from you.
The greatest gift you could ever receive is not found under a tree.
It’s the grace of God, offered freely to you.
And if you’re ready to begin again —
ready for a new heart, a clean slate, a fresh start —
this could be your moment.
So if God is closer than you thought, what might it look like for you to open your heart to Him tonight?
Would you bow your heads with me?
Closing Prayer
