December 24th, 2025: What Christmas Demands of Us Today
The Kingdom of God Is Here
Christmas is not only something we remember. It is something we enter. When the Church proclaims “God is with us,” it is not poetry or symbolism. It is a statement of reality. Christ has come. The Kingdom of God is present. Heaven has entered our world.
During the Nativity services, we hear the words repeated again and again: God is with us. Submit yourselves. These words are not gentle suggestions. They are a call. They tell us that something has changed, and because of that, we must change as well.
When Isaiah says that the government will be upon His shoulders, this does not mean an earthly rule or political power. It means that Christ reigns. His Kingdom is not distant or delayed. Jesus Himself says, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Christmas is the moment that proclamation becomes real.
God became man so that man might become like God. This is not about status or power. It is about healing. God enters our broken world to lift us out of death and corruption. He does not wait for us to reach Him. He comes to us first.
Because Christ has taken on flesh, the Kingdom of Heaven is no longer far away. It is here, now, and active. We experience it in the Church, in the sacraments, in prayer, and in obedience to God’s will.
But this gift demands a response.
To submit ourselves means we no longer live according to our own desires. We no longer decide truth for ourselves. We allow Christ to shape our lives. Repentance is not simply feeling sorry. It is turning our whole life toward God.
Christmas reminds us that faith is not only belief. It is imitation. We are called to live as Christ lived. We are called to serve as He served. We are called to love as He loved.
This is how the world comes to know Christ. People do not discover Him only through words. They see Him in the lives of those who follow Him. Every Christian becomes a witness. Every action either reflects Christ or hides Him.
The joy of Christmas is real. The food, the gifts, the celebration all have their place. But they are not the center. The center is the Kingdom of God. The center is Christ Himself.
When Christ enters creation, He takes on our sin and breaks the power of death. Death no longer has the final word. Corruption does not rule us anymore. If we follow Him, we are promised life.
But that promise is not passive. Christ says that we must submit ourselves. We must obey. We must follow His will rather than our own. Freedom in Christ is not doing whatever we want. It is becoming what we were created to be.
The Nativity is a beginning. It is not about looking back at what we have failed to do. It is about looking forward. Christ is born. That means today can be new.
For those who are lifelong believers, this feast is a call to renew our commitment. For those who are inquirers or visitors, it is an invitation to begin a journey. For all of us, it is a reminder that God is with us right now.
Christmas tells us that the Kingdom is here. The only question is whether we will submit ourselves to it.
Christ is born. Let us glorify Him by how we live.