Practicing Christmas: Emmanuel’s Presence in Messy Moments

We began by praying for Bob and Susie and by asking God to help us walk into Christmas week with gratitude, open eyes, and ready hands. I shared a simple story: a neighborhood obsessed with Christmas displays lost power, and the dark turned competitors into neighbors—people giving, receiving, and becoming a community. That picture helped us shift from presenting Christmas to practicing it. The first Christmas wasn’t shiny or tidy either. It began in scandal and discomfort, and yet it was flooded with God’s presence.

Matthew 1 shows us Joseph—righteous not because he looked the part, but because he loved well. Righteousness, in Scripture’s imagination, is measured by how we treat people, especially when we could protect ourselves at their expense. Joseph could have saved face; instead, he protected Mary. Love chose mercy over reputation. Then God intervened in a dream. Trust is usually earned, but it’s also always a choice. Joseph chose to trust that God was speaking, and that choice took shape in his presence—he stayed.

Emmanuel means God with us—not God with our ideal lives, but God with our actual lives. We don’t have to choreograph perfection to be loved; we meet God in imperfect rooms, imperfect families, and imperfect hearts. Joseph was told to name the child “Jesus,” and in naming, he adopted him—claiming him as his own and placing him in David’s line. That mirrors what God does for us: “I have called you by name; you are mine.” So we can expect love—not because we’ve cleaned ourselves up, but because God has chosen to save us, stay with us, and call us his.

This week, choose presence over presentation. Practice mercy that protects rather than judgment that distances. Make space to listen for God—maybe in quiet, maybe in sleep, maybe in the face of someone who interrupts your plans. And rest in your true name: beloved, adopted, kept. God is with us.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Righteousness looks like protective mercy. Righteousness in Scripture is not about religious polish; it’s about guarding the dignity of others when it costs us. Joseph could have preserved his image, but he sheltered Mary from shame. Love bends its own rights to lift another’s life. The most faithful choice is often the least self-protective one. [56:39]
• 2. Trust is a deliberate, loving choice. Even when God speaks clearly, we still choose whether to align our lives with what we’ve heard. Joseph trusted a dream, not because dreams are reliable, but because God is. Trust matures when we keep choosing it, especially when it complicates our plans. In that choosing, love gains weight and shape. [61:43]
• 3. God-with-us reframes imperfect moments. Emmanuel doesn’t promise polished circumstances; it promises presence in their midst. When we stop demanding perfection, we start recognizing God at work in the mess. That awareness turns competitors into neighbors and pressure into generosity. Presence—not presentation—is the doorway to joy. [64:16]
• 4. Love often means choosing to stay. Joseph’s love took form as presence—he stayed, he covered, he carried what wasn’t his to cause. Staying doesn’t mean enabling harm; it means being faithfully near in the right way. In families and friendships, presence quiets fear and steadies hope. God’s love is known most deeply when someone refuses to run. [63:17]
• 5. You are named, adopted, and kept. Joseph named Jesus and claimed him; God names us and claims us. Adoption means identity: you belong, not on probation, but by promise. Living from that belovedness frees us to extend the same welcome to others. Expect love because your name is known by the One who calls you his. [69:01]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:35] - Prayer for Bob and Susie
• [43:49] - Competitive Christmas neighborhood tale
• [45:09] - Power outage resets priorities
• [46:46] - From competitors to neighbors
• [47:54] - The first Christmas wasn’t tidy
• [48:35] - Matthew 1 reading: Joseph’s dilemma
• [52:05] - Betrothal customs and expectations
• [54:31] - What righteousness means in Scripture
• [56:39] - Joseph chooses mercy over reputation
• [59:48] - Expecting God to speak to us
• [62:44] - Imperfection and the presence of God
• [64:16] - Emmanuel: God with us now
• [68:06] - Adoption and claiming the child
• [71:46] - Closing prayer and sending

1. In Matthew 1:18–25, what two actions did Joseph take—first before the dream, then after the dream—and what changed his course?
2. The angel gives reasons for Joseph to take Mary as his wife and gives two names for the child. What are those reasons and what do the names mean?
3. In that time and place, what did Joseph’s act of naming Jesus communicate about belonging and lineage? How does that deepen the scene’s significance? [01:08:06]
4. In the neighborhood power-outage story, what concrete shift moved people from “presenting Christmas” to “practicing it”? What visible actions showed the change? [46:19]

1. If righteousness is measured by how we treat others when we could protect ourselves at their expense, how does Joseph’s plan to “divorce her quietly” model protective mercy? What might that look like today when someone else’s failure could damage our reputation? [54:31]
2. Trust is a deliberate choice even when God speaks. What made Joseph’s choice to trust a dream difficult in his world, and what kinds of “dream-like” moments today (less-than-certain guidance) invite that same kind of trust? [01:01:43]
3. “Emmanuel—God with us” reframes imperfect moments. How does God’s presence—not polished circumstances—transform fear, shame, or pressure into generosity and joy? [01:04:16]
4. Love often looks like choosing to stay present, not running. How can someone discern the “right way” to stay near that offers care without enabling harm? What wisdom and help are needed for that kind of faithful presence? [01:03:17]

1. Where are you tempted this week to protect your image or save face? What would “protective mercy” look like in that exact situation, and what step will you take? [56:39]
2. Choose presence over presentation: What is one specific way you’ll simplify or share so others are cared for (for example, set out a “take what you need” basket, invite a neighbor, or cancel an overplanned activity to be with someone)? [46:46]
3. Make space to listen for God: When will you listen this week—quiet time, a short walk, journaling before bed, or simply paying attention to interruptions? Pick one practice and commit to it for three days. [59:48]
4. Where would obeying what you already know from God complicate your plans? What small, do-able step of trust will you take in that area before the week is over? [01:01:43]
5. Is there a relationship where love means staying near in the right way? What boundary or support would make that presence healthy, and who can help you hold it? [01:03:17]
6. Live as named and adopted: When shame or striving shows up, what words will you speak over yourself—beloved, adopted, kept? Who is one person you can welcome this week in a way that mirrors that same adoption-shaped love? [01:09:01]