Coming Home to Hope This Christmas

I talked about that ache we feel at Christmas—the pull to come home, the longing loaded with memory and meaning. I shared a bit from my childhood, when family gathered a few blocks apart and my grandma put out a spread I’d give anything to taste again. That homesickness points to something deeper: the desire to come home to hope. Isaiah 9 speaks into a season like that—when life feels dark and heavy—and promises a light that breaks in. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. That’s not sentiment; that’s reality, because God’s promises are so sure you can speak about them as already done.

We named the darkness honestly. Some of us feel it as sadness or seasonal heaviness—the Eeyore spirit. But darkness doesn’t get the last word. Light wins every time. Like flipping on a switch in a dark room, when Christ is given access, the heaviness scatters. That’s why we come home to hope: hope is a Person, not a mood.

I also talked about the yoke—y-o-k-e—that heavy implement that keeps you bound and moving where you don’t want to go. Hope in God isn’t hype or a political slogan; it’s the certainty that God does what he promises. The cross proves it. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the yoke of sin was broken. We don’t work our way into freedom; we receive it from a Savior who has done the work.

Unto us a child is born. He is the Wonderful Counselor—wise enough to guide us; Mighty God—strong enough to save us; Everlasting Father—near enough to hold us; Prince of Peace—able to still us. He carries what we cannot. And he invites the weary to come and rest. I shared a painful story of someone who would not open the door to Christ at the end of his life—proof that God doesn’t force himself on us. He knocks. He calls. He waits. But he also promises: those who open the door will find not condemnation but home. This Christmas, come home to Hope. Come home to Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Light breaks into real darkness God’s light is not an idea—it’s an invasion. Where his presence enters, oppression and heaviness lose their grip. Because his promises are certain, we can speak about his rescue as already accomplished and live as people who see the dawn while others still feel the night. Hope is not fragile; darkness is. [05:22]
• 2. Hope shatters the binding yoke The yoke that steers and confines is real—habits, fears, guilt, sin. But gospel hope is not a surge of positivity; it is the action of God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. The cross declares “finished,” and that verdict breaks the yoke’s authority, not by our effort but by Christ’s completed work. [09:49]
• 3. Hope has a name: Jesus We do not anchor our future to perfect plans or perfect holidays, but to a perfect Savior—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He carries what is too heavy, rules with wisdom and justice, and brings peace that is more than quiet—it is wholeness under his reign. Come to him with your weariness and find rest that lasts. [14:02]
• 4. Open the door and come God doesn’t batter down hearts; he knocks. Love invites, it does not coerce. To open the door is to entrust your life to the One who has already moved heaven and earth to bring you home. Refusal leaves us with ourselves; surrender leads us into light, belonging, and a joy no darkness can unmake. [18:50]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:43] - Childhood memories and longing
• [03:00] - Isaiah 9: Light in darkness
• [05:22] - Hope shines in dark places
• [07:07] - Darkness doesn’t get the last word
• [08:00] - From S-U-N to S-O-N light
• [09:49] - What breaking the yoke means
• [11:57] - Hope is certainty, not sentiment
• [13:02] - God’s ancient promise of a Savior
• [14:02] - Unto us a child is born
• [15:41] - Jesus carries what we cannot
• [16:47] - The sorrow of rejecting Christ
• [18:50] - Open the door and welcome Him
• [20:16] - A sure hope beyond death
• [21:36] - Confess, believe, be made new

Come Home for Christmas — Small Group Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
Isaiah 9:1-7
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Observation questions

1. Read Isaiah 9:2–4. What concrete contrasts does the passage use to show the change from “darkness” to “light” and from being oppressed to being freed? How do those images shape your picture of what God does?
2. Look at Isaiah 9:6. What does each title—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—suggest about the kind of help this Child brings? Which title feels most needed right now, and why?
3. Isaiah 9:4 uses the picture of a “yoke” and “rod” that are broken. What kinds of real-life burdens or controls might this language be describing (think habits, guilt, fear, systems, relationships)?
4. The sermon used everyday language—“Eeyore spirit” and “S-O-N shine”—to describe seasonal heaviness and Christ’s light that breaks it ([08:00]). Where do you personally notice that seasonal heaviness most clearly in your life or in people you know?

Interpretation questions

1. How does Isaiah’s prophetic confidence—speaking of rescue in certainty—shape the way the community is to live now (e.g., the use of past-tense language about God’s deliverance)? What does that imply about how present suffering and future hope relate to each other? ([05:22])
2. In what ways does the image of the broken yoke (Isa. 9:4) deepen the understanding of salvation as an accomplished act rather than merely a motivation to “try harder”? How does this affect the church’s call to sinners who feel trapped? ([13:02])
3. How should the non-coercive picture of God “knocking at the door” inform the way Christians invite others to faith—especially at Christmas when invitations and longing are common? ([18:50])
4. Consider the four titles in verse 6 together. How do wisdom (Wonderful Counselor), power (Mighty God), nearness (Everlasting Father), and peace (Prince of Peace) work together to form a full picture of hope? Which of these provides the strongest corrective to your current doubts or fears?

Application questions

1. Christ’s light is described as entering dark places and scattering heaviness. What practical step can you take this week to let Jesus’ light into a specific “dark” corner of your life (a fear, a memory, a loneliness)? Be concrete (who, where, when) ([07:07]).
2. The yoke image suggests there are oppressive patterns we cannot break by willpower alone. Name one persistent burden in your life and one action you will take to receive Christ’s help with it (a conversation, confession, accountability, or a spiritual practice) ([09:49]).
3. The Child’s titles promise both wisdom and rest. When you feel worn out by planning or perfectionism this season, what is one way you can “come and rest” this week—an activity or rhythm that says, I trust Jesus to carry this? Give a specific time and place to try it ([15:41]).
4. The gospel invites rather than forces—people must open the door. Who in your life needs a gentle invitation toward Christ this Christmas? What will you say or do to open that conversation? Commit to a specific person and a first step ([18:50]).
5. The hope described is certain even in the face of death. How does the assurance of a future with Christ change the way you face daily fears (health, loss, plans)? Name one fear you will hand over to that hope and one practical next step that shows trust ([20:16]).
6. If you have not yet entrusted your life to Christ, consider the simple steps of admitting sin, believing Jesus died and rose, and confessing that trust publicly (Rom. 10:9–10). What would keep you from taking those steps now, and what needs to change for you to open the door?

Use this guide to structure about 60–75 minutes: begin with the Bible reading together, spend 10–15 minutes on Observation, 20 minutes on Interpretation, and 25–30 minutes on Application and personal sharing. Keep the tone gentle and pastoral—create space for silence, honesty, and prayer between people as they share.