By Samuel Rodriguez, CP Contributor Monday, December 22, 2025Getty Images
December is one of the darkest months of the year. Days are shorter, mornings are darker, and grey clouds are often a fixture. With this change in weather comes what doctors call seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as seasonal depression. This just builds on the loneliness in the United States, which is already at epidemic levels.
The answer comes against a backdrop of loneliness and darkness, both ancient and present, where the message of Christmas shines most brightly: Immanuel, God with us.
It’s easy to look around at what’s going on today and think that this is a singularly difficult period of history. There is indeed a heartbreaking amount of suffering across the globe, and our cultural moment continues to pose unique challenges. But that is not a new story. This has been true of every period in history, all the way back to that very first Christmas when hope was given to a hopeless world.
Mary and Joseph lived in a time of Roman occupation, political corruption, and religious oppression. The Jewish people were systematically dehumanized and downtrodden. When they heard a Messiah was coming, they expected a political champion and conquering king who would free them from suffering, not a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.
It was into a world as marred by sin and evil, just like our world today, that Jesus was born. Let that sink in. The God of the universe took on human flesh and entered into suffering that He did nothing to cause. Too often, we fail to grasp the profound significance of this truth because it’s familiar. This year, let’s not make the mistake of overlooking the miracle of Christ’s birth, because it changes everything.
At Christmas, God declared that He wasn’t just with us in a cosmic, spiritual way — though He was and still is. No, at Christmas, God became Emmanuel, God with us in flesh and bone. In the person of Jesus, He entered into our experience and lived it, plumbing the depths of the human experience, from sorrow to joy.
That changes everything. It means that we have a God who knows what it’s like to suffer humanly, in a way that’s not just intellectual, but experiential. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus can sympathize with our weakness because He has been through the worst this world has to offer. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that because this is true, we can be confident that God will give us strength in each and every circumstance, no matter how difficult.
It is by His mercy that He is always with us.
That’s what the world needs this Christmas. We can acknowledge evil is real, but refuse to be ruled by its reality. Instead, we can look at the one who sits on the throne of Heaven, remembering that He has been where we are and walks alongside us through it all.
Take away all the lights and gifts, the food and the decorations, the music and the festivities that come with this time of year, and we are left with one incredible truth: We are never alone. No matter what this world throws at us, God is still Emmanuel, still with us.
Believing this truth should change how we live in this world, regardless of what’s going on around us. It should give us confidence and a winsomeness that doesn’t make sense. It should fill us with hope that endures suffering.
Above all, loving like Jesus should change how we show up for other people. As we fully grasp that God left heaven to be with us, we find ourselves called to extend that same kind of loving, counter-cultural presence to others.
And there’s no better time for it than Christmas. So, invite the stranger to your Christmas Eve service, go caroling at a nursing home, volunteer at a food pantry, set an extra place at your table this Christmas, and ask God who He wants to be there.
Being the hands and feet of Jesus in a dark and lonely world means leaving where we’re comfortable to search for the least of these and extending them the same care and presence that we’ve all been shown in the manger.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the lead pastor of New Season, one of America’s most influential megachurches, and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), which represents millions of Christians worldwide.
Rodriguez has advised three U.S. Presidents and is the first Latino to participate in multiple presidential inauguration ceremonies. He is also a best-selling author of 12 books and serves as producer of 7 faith-based films including Breakthrough, Flamin Hot, and Dream King.
Rev. Rodriguez has been recognized by CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Univision, Telemundo, and NBC as America’s most influential Hispanic Christian leader. Above all, he is dedicated to magnifying the name of Jesus through every aspect of his ministry and life, giving God all the glory for his influence and impact.
