Christmas Eve // Ordinary People Extraordinary Story // Dec. 24 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Finding Hope in the Midst of Long Journeys

Life often feels like a long and complicated journey, much like the ninety-mile trek Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem. We may face hilly terrain or seasons of uncertainty where the path forward isn't clearly lit. Even when the travel is difficult and the destination seems far off, we can rest in the knowledge that our hope is in God all day long. He guides our paths and teaches us His ways, even when we are weary from the road. Just as Mary and Joseph traveled by daylight, we can trust the light of God to lead us through each step of our own journeys. [12:47]

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

Reflection: When you consider the "long journey" you are currently on, what is one specific worry you can hand over to God today to find rest?

Day 2: Trusting God When There Is No Room

It is a striking reality that when the Savior of the world was ready to be born, there was no room for Him in the expected places. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem only to find guest rooms full and doors closed. We often expect God to work through grand palaces or perfect circumstances, yet He frequently chooses the humble and the overlooked. Even when life feels crowded or doors seem shut, God is still at work preparing a place for His purposes to unfold. We can trust that He provides exactly what is needed, even if it looks like a simple stable instead of a comfortable inn. [14:26]

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel like a "door has closed" recently, and how might God be inviting you to look for His provision in an unexpected place?

Day 3: Being the Hands That Provide a Safe Space

In the story of the nativity, an unnamed person stepped forward to ensure that a vulnerable young woman had a safe and warm place to give birth. We all yearn for those special people in our lives who show up when we are sick, injured, or simply overwhelmed. God often relies on ordinary individuals to provide the security and care that others desperately need. By offering what we have—whether it is a listening ear or a physical space—we participate in God’s work of taking care of His children. This quiet act of service becomes a vital part of the larger story of hope and salvation. [17:37]

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. (Matthew 25:35)

Reflection: Who is one person in your circle who seems particularly vulnerable right now, and what is one small way you could help them feel safe and cared for this week?

Day 4: God Choosing Ordinary People for Extraordinary Purposes

Throughout history, God has consistently chosen regular, everyday people to bring His extraordinary plans to life. From Abraham in a distant land to shepherds working the night shift, God speaks to those living their normal daily lives. He does not require us to have great power or wealth to be part of His story; He simply looks for a heart willing to respond. When we take action in faith, we join a long line of ordinary believers who have helped make God's message known to the world. Your daily routine is the very place where God may be waiting to reveal His next step for you. [21:11]

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 2:8-10)

Reflection: When you look at your "ordinary" daily routine, what is one small task you could do with more intentionality, as if you were doing it directly for God?

Day 5: Responding to God’s Call with Faith and Action

The message of Christmas is not just a historical account but a present invitation to look around and see who needs a room today. God is still speaking to us, expecting us to respond with both faith and concrete action toward those who are lost or lonely. We are called to be the ones who feed, visit, and give attention to the travelers in our own communities. By making the choice to care for the vulnerable, we reflect the heart of the Savior who was born in a stable. Tonight and every night, we have the opportunity to be the answer to someone else's prayer for help. [22:23]

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

Reflection: Is there a specific "nudge" you’ve felt lately to help someone in need that you’ve been putting off? What is one concrete step you can take today to follow through on that nudge?

Sermon Summary

Mary and Joseph’s long, unwelcome journey to Bethlehem becomes a lens for understanding how God works through ordinary life and fragile human kindness. A traveler’s anecdote opens the reflection, setting up the contrast between modern travel anxieties and the rough, government‑ordered trip undertaken by a heavily pregnant Mary and her newly married husband. They arrive exhausted and find no room; the gospel record names no innkeeper and leaves an unnamed helper to secure a stable where birth can safely occur. That gap—between divine promise and human contingency—reveals that God intentionally uses ordinary people and small acts of hospitality to bring the incarnation into the world.

The narrative highlights vulnerability: Mary’s exposed condition, Joseph’s limited resources, and the shepherds’ low status. Instead of grandeur, God chooses proximity and dependence—entering creation not from a palace but through the hands and homes of everyday people. This pattern is traced beyond Bethlehem to figures like Elizabeth and Zechariah, Abraham, and the prophets: God calls people in their ordinary circumstances, asks for a response of faith and action, and then uses those responses to move redemptive history forward.

The unnamed individual who provides space for the birth becomes a theological symbol of vocation—hospitality enacted, a small but decisive mercy that enables God’s plan. The story reframes generosity as necessary cooperation with God’s work, not merely optional charity. The conclusion presses the listener to practical faith: to notice those who are traveling, displaced, or lonely and to offer shelter, attention, or provision. The incarnation thus models divine solidarity with the vulnerable and invites ordinary people to participate in concrete care, so that God’s life and love continue to reach others through human hands.

Key Takeaways

1. God uses ordinary, faithful people God repeatedly chooses people living ordinary lives—workers, parents, shepherds—placing divine initiative within human contexts. This pattern argues that holiness is less about status and more about availability and obedience: God’s plans unfold where people respond faithfully to a call. The implication is pastoral and practical: readiness and small acts matter for God’s mission. [18:23]
2. Presence valued over palace comforts The incarnation prefers nearness and vulnerability to spectacle or power; God’s arrival is marked by presence more than by pomp. This reframes expectations about blessing: what matters is proximity to need rather than visible success or comfort. Faith learns to seek God where life is messy, not only where life is staged. [18:06]
3. Hospitality is incarnational action Providing a safe place for the vulnerable becomes participation in the incarnation itself—hospitality acts as a theological bridge between divine promise and human need. A single, unnamed act of care enabled the birth that changes everything, showing that mercy can be decisive in salvation history. Practicing shelter and welcome is therefore a sacramental extension of God’s coming. [16:12]
4. Care for the vulnerable now The biblical story presses present responsibility: there are still people “on the road” who need a room, a meal, or companionship. Responding to that need is not optional moralism but a concrete way to cooperate with God’s ongoing work of redemption. Faithful action today can become the setting where God’s life is born to others. [21:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:59] - Opening Prayer & Hope
[10:34] - Preparing for Travel
[12:21] - Mary and Joseph's Journey
[13:27] - No Room in Bethlehem
[15:52] - The Unnamed Caregiver
[18:23] - God Chooses Ordinary People
[21:32] - Call to Care for Vulnerable
[22:23] - Closing Amen

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 2:1-7 (ESV)
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Observation questions

According to the sermon, how did Mary and Joseph’s travel experience differ from the modern travel anxieties described at the beginning? [12:21]
We often see an innkeeper in Christmas pageants turning the couple away. What does the sermon point out is actually missing from the biblical text regarding who told them there was "no room"? [13:56]
The sermon lists several groups of people involved in the Christmas story and redemptive history. Who are the specific "ordinary" people mentioned alongside Mary and Joseph who God used to make His story happen? [19:16]

Interpretation questions

The sermon notes that God has all the power in the universe and could have arranged a palace for Jesus, yet He chose a difficult journey and a lack of room. What does this decision to rely on human help and humble circumstances reveal about how God chooses to work in the world? [18:06]
Even though the text does not name the person who provided the stable, the sermon suggests someone had to make that space available. How does viewing this unnamed individual as a key part of God's plan change the way we view small acts of hospitality? [15:52]
From Abraham to the shepherds, God seems to interrupt people in the middle of their "normal daily everyday lives." Why is it significant that God calls people in the midst of their work and routines rather than waiting for them to be "spiritual" or powerful? [20:49]

Application questions

We all have moments where we feel vulnerable and yearn for someone to ensure we are safe and secure. Who has been that person for you during a difficult season, showing up when you needed a "room" or a safe place? [16:51]
God’s plans often unfold through people who are simply available and willing to respond to a need. Are you currently waiting for a "big" sign from God, or are you paying attention to the small, ordinary interruptions where He might be asking you to act? [21:11]
Providing a safe place for the vulnerable is a concrete way to cooperate with God’s work. Who in your life or community is currently "traveling"—perhaps lonely, displaced, or overwhelmed—and needs you to offer them attention or hospitality? [22:09]
The incarnation teaches us that God values presence and proximity to need over comfort. Is there a "messy" situation or a person in need that you have been avoiding, where God might actually be inviting you to step in and help? [18:06]
It is easy to feel like what we have to offer isn't good enough. What "limited" resources or humble spaces do you have right now—like a spare room, a meal, or just your time—that could be used to bless someone else this week? [15:52]

Sermon Clips

``But our God is the God of the universe. Our God created everything. Our God has all the power. So why is it that God is relying on someone to show up to provide a room for Mary. In fact, we've been looking at the whole story of Jesus' birth over the last few weeks, and God seems to always be looking for normal, regular, ordinary people like us to show up and to make his story happen. [00:18:06] (32 seconds) #GodUsesOrdinaryPeople

What if today, God is still looking for regular ordinary people? What if God is still speaking to us and expecting us to respond in faith and in action? What if God is waiting for us to take care of someone vulnerable in our lives today? [00:21:18] (25 seconds) #GodStillCallingUs

Maybe there's someone in our lives that needs a room. Maybe there's someone in our lives who is lost and lonely that we can feed or visit or give attention to. There are still people traveling today who need a room at the inn. And maybe tonight, God is sending us the message to look around and take care of someone in need. Amen. [00:21:58] (28 seconds) #MakeRoomForOthers

I mean, God could totally have had a palace ready for Jesus. God could have arranged things that Mary and Joseph didn't have to travel so far. God could have arranged all sorts of things and instead God's like, yeah, I'm gonna take a young woman who's just married her husband, put him on a donkey, make them go 90 miles, and then there's not gonna be a room for them there. Really, God? That's your plan? [00:18:37] (31 seconds) #GodChoosesHumility

Really, God? That's your plan? We can't get God's gift until Mary gives birth to God's son and someone takes care of Mary. When we look at these other people, these ordinary people and the extraordinary story of Jesus' birth, we see people like Elizabeth and Zechariah who were in their old age before they had a baby, but that baby went on to become the prophet John the Baptist who prepared us for the message of Jesus. [00:19:03] (37 seconds) #OrdinaryPeopleExtraordinaryPurpose

Even Mary and Joseph. Joseph works with his hands. Mary is young, pregnant with her first child. They just want to settle down, set up their home. We have the shepherds, a bunch of kids and teenagers who are out working the night shift, sleeping with the sheep and the goats, making sure no wild animals come and take off with one of them. And we have this unnamed person who makes sure that Jesus has a safe place for his birth. [00:19:40] (38 seconds) #EverydayHeroesOfChristmas

As I was thinking about this situation and whoever this person is that shows up and takes care of them, I realized, isn't this something that we yearn for in our lives? That someone who always shows up when we need them. Someone who's always there and it's always making sure that we are taken care of. [00:16:43] (25 seconds) #ThoseWhoAlwaysShowUp

As I read this, I am struck by the fact that someone who is unnamed is not mentioned at all, someone make sure that while Mary is very vulnerable at this moment, someone make sure she has a safe, secure, warm, comfortable place to stay. A place that's even suitable enough to give birth in. [00:15:52] (27 seconds) #HonorTheUnseenHelper

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Christmas Eve // Ordinary People Extraordinary Story // Dec. 24 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Finding Hope in the Midst of Long Journeys

Day 2: Trusting God When There Is No Room

Day 3: Being the Hands That Provide a Safe Space

Day 4: God Choosing Ordinary People for Extraordinary Purposes

Day 5: Responding to God’s Call with Faith and Action

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Christmas Eve // Ordinary People Extraordinary Story // Dec. 24 2026

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