12/24/2025
Merry Christmas from the Horner family. We pause and remember that the hope of this world is not a “good” life; it is something that transcends our worst days and our best, our bodies, our intellect.
This Advent we’ve been reading the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Fleming Rutledge. Themes of the reality of darkness and brokenness; and the tension of things not yet made right. Instead, God enters into the brokenness Himself. It is a mystery, and far more obscure and humble than we would like. It is the first star we see in the dark night, signaling that while there is darkness, it is not the end of the story. There will be more night ahead, but that first Bright star signals the sun will surely rise.
Christmas orients us to this life, where evil and suffering and hurt live. True Christmas sobers us, not numbs, to the darkness. And it orients us again to accept a humble Savior, who bears this life with us. And he claims he is not with the powerful, arrogant, or self-proclaimed, but with those who know this reality: the true King is born in a manger. It’s not what we expect; let it mystify you, challenge you, provoke you, humble you. Hope is not in this life. Good news for those that face darkness and loss and pity today… you live where the manger is. Though the world may look in pity, God whispers that in this dark, unexpected place… “I am here”. Take courage; the darkness doesn’t separate you from hope. It is the closest thing to it.
May you find this true peace and settledness this Christmas, more awake to the darkness in the life and rooted in the challenging hope of Him entering in.
