Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park

Growing in God: December 25, 2025

Emily Trubey-Weller

Read

Luke 2:1-20

The day is here! Christmas has come! The baby is born!

In the birth of Jesus, the promise that God pushed through the generations is finally birthed. Emmanuel! God is with us! Cue “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!” And they all lived happily ever after…

Yet there is more to come.

The birth of Jesus means that God is present in our human existence in an entirely new way. God’s promise persevered through generations of a flawed, feisty, fearful, and fearless family to bring about Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph. The promise doesn’t end there. Rather, like any birth, this one is a beginning. From this moment, God’s promise will take root and grow in a new way.

We are part of that growth. Saints and sinners alike can find a place around the manger on Christmas because we know that Jesus’ own family tree was full of folks like us. Like Jesus’ family stories, our own histories can be fraught with pain, like Tamar and Bathsheba’s. They can be dramatic, like Rahab’s, or full of faith and doubt intertwined, like Sarah and Abraham’s. Sometimes we choose our own families, like Ruth, or long for more, like Naomi. Perhaps on a good day, we’re thrilled and overjoyed with God’s goodness, and we burst into prophetic praise like Zechariah and Mary.

In entering our human story, God makes all our histories into holy ground, fertile for new growth.

Consider

Which stories have most captured your attention this Advent? How might you carry their lessons beyond Christmas into a new season?

Pray

Jesus, you have arrived! In our hearts, in our homes, in our world, you are here. You have entered our own histories to heal and unite, forgive and save. As we welcome you this Christmas, plant the seeds of something new in our hearts. Help us grow into new ways of sharing your love. Amen.

Find
Find something that points to new life or to a baby. Examples include a toy or baby item, a flower or bud, or a new greeting from an old friend. Add it to your tree.

Leave your Jesse tree up throughout the twelve days of Christmas until Epiphany on January 6. Take some time to look back on the various items you have added. See if you can remember which idea, character, or story inspired each item. When taken as a whole, what do these items say about Jesus’ family tree? What do they say about your own or your household’s history? Can they plot a course through your journey of faith this season?