"And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him."
To Ponder:
After the angels had sung and the shepherds returned to their flocks, something quiet and extraordinary happened: Jesus grew up! There are no miracles are recorded about this. No dramatic events. Just the steady, unremarkable, ordinary times of childhood—learning to walk, helping in the carpenter's shop, studying Scripture, playing with neighbours, growing taller each year.
Where is Jesus after Christmas? He's in Nazareth, living an ordinary life. He's growing—physically, mentally, spiritually. He's becoming strong through daily work. He's gaining wisdom through observation and study. He's experiencing the grace of God in the ordinary moments that make up most of life.
This might be, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked miracles of Jesus coming: He didn't just visit earth for a dramatic moment and leave. Jesus lived through approximately 10,950 ordinary days before his public ministry began. He knows what it's like when life isn't spectacular—when it's just one faithful day after another, growing gradually, learning slowly, living outside the spotlight.
We often struggle with the "after Christmas" because we want to live from one mountaintop experience to the next. But Jesus shows us that spiritual growth happens in the valleys—in the daily choices, the quiet faithfulness, the unglamorous routines. He grew. He became strong. Wisdom filled him. Grace rested on him. Not overnight, but through years of faithful living.
Where is Jesus in your after-Christmas life? He's in the ordinary moments, the daily disciplines, the slow work of growth. He meets you in the routine. And he invites you to grow with him.
Prayer:
Father, thank you that Jesus didn't just appear as an infant and then skip to adulthood. Thank you that he lived through countless ordinary days, growing gradually in strength and wisdom. Help us to value the everyday moments where real growth happens—the morning prayers, the small acts of obedience, the patient endurance through routine. Remind us that your grace is present not just in the spectacular, but in the steady work of becoming who you've called us to be. May we, like Jesus, grow strong and be filled with wisdom as your grace rests upon us. In his name, Amen.
Today’s Devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LIfeWay Epping
"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt."
To Ponder:
What struck me as I read this reading was that Christmas cards don't usually show this part of the Christmas story. After the shepherds returned to their fields and the wise men went home, Mary and Joseph bundled up their son (estimated to be about 2 years old when the Wise men came) and fled into the night. Jesus' first journey after Christmas wasn't to the temple or back to Nazareth—it was into exile, into danger, into uncertainty.
Where is Jesus after Christmas? He's on the road to Egypt, a refugee in foreign land. He's in the arms of frightened parents who don't know when they'll return home. He's learning what it means to be human in all its vulnerability—dependent, displaced, and hunted by powerful men who see him as a threat.
This isn't the peaceful scene we imagine when we put away the nativity set. But it's important. The baby born in a stable because there was no room in the inn now has no room anywhere in his own country. The King of Kings is fleeing for his life. Jesus enters fully into the human experience—not just the joyful parts, but the fearful, uncertain, and difficult parts too.
After Christmas, Jesus doesn't retreat to heaven's comfort. He stays in the mess and danger of our world. He knows what it's like when celebration gives way to hardship, when joy is interrupted by crisis, when obedience to God leads through dark valleys rather than around them.
Where is Jesus in your "after Christmas"? He's right there in your uncertainties, your disrupted plans, your midnight anxieties. He's been a refugee. He understands.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we thank you that you didn't come just for the celebration, but for the whole journey—including the hard parts we don't talk about much. Thank you that when the joy of Christmas fades and we face the struggles of ordinary life, you are no stranger to difficulty, displacement, or danger. You've walked these roads before us. Remind us that you are present not just in our moments of peace, but in our seasons of upheaval. Give us faith to follow you wherever you lead, trusting that you go with us even through the darkest nights. Amen
Today’s Devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
To Ponder:
Christmas celebrates the most amazing miracle: God didn't just visit us—he moved in. The Word became flesh and "made his dwelling among us." The Greek word John uses literally means "pitched his tent" or "tabernacled" with us. God set up camp in our neighbourhood.
The beauty of the Jesus coming is that it wasn't temporary. When the Word became flesh, it wasn't a brief holiday appearance. Jesus didn't un-become human after his birth. He remained Emmanuel—God with us—through dusty roads and fishing boats, through teaching and healing, through the cross and the empty tomb, and even now at the Father's right hand.
John says, "We have seen his glory." Not "we saw" but "we have seen"—past action with present implications. The glory revealed in Bethlehem still shines. The grace and truth that took on flesh still dwell among us through his Spirit, his Word, and his body, the church.
After Christmas, Jesus hasn't gone anywhere. He's still dwelling with us, still full of grace for our failures and truth for our wandering. The question is whether we're living like he's still here—or whether we've mentally packed him away until next December.
Prayer:
Father, thank you that Jesus didn't just visit us but became one of us. Thank you that he didn't come and go, but came and stayed dwelling among us, revealing your glory, bringing grace and truth into our everyday lives. Help us to live aware of your abiding presence. Keep our eyes open to the Word who dwells with us still. Amen.
Today’s Devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
To Ponder:
The decorations come down. The guests go home. The excitement fades. And we might find ourselves asking: Where is Jesus now that Christmas is over?
Mary and Joseph asked a similar question when they lost track of twelve-year-old Jesus on their journey home from Jerusalem. After three frantic days of searching, they found him in the temple—not lost at all, but exactly where he needed to be: in his Father's house, engaged in his Father's work.
Jesus' response reveals something profound: he wasn't wandering aimlessly. He was living with purpose, already about the mission that would define his life.
As the Christmas season ends, we face the same question those worried parents did: Where is Jesus? The answer remains unchanged—he is in his Father's house, among his Father's people, doing his Father's work. The question isn't really where Jesus is, but where we are. Are we going about our routines as if the Savior we celebrated has been packed away with the ornaments? Or are we seeking him where he promises to be found—in prayer, in Scripture, in worship, in service to others?
The Christmas story doesn't end when we take down the tree. The child in the manger grew into a boy who knew his purpose, and then into a man who fulfilled it. He is still present, still active, still inviting us to join him in his Father's house and his Father's mission.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we've lost track of you once the celebration ends. Help us to seek you intentionally—not just during the Christmas season, but every day of the year. Like you in the temple, may we be found faithfully in our Father's house, engaged in our Father's work. Give us eyes to see where you are moving and hearts willing to follow. Amen
Today’s Devotion written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
TO PONDER
We began the week with a Reading from the opening chapter of John's gospel in which John refers to Jesus as 'the Word made Flesh" about whom he goes on to say, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."
Now in Matthew's gospel in Jesus first major address to the crowds who had begun to follow him, Jesus says, "You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before others"
This is also another reason that Christmas is every day. If that first Christmas was the Light coming into the world, then since his arrival, he has placed that light in all who would follow and believe in him and now that light shines in us... or at least it should.
We all know there are days, and times when we do obscure that light and we don't look much like the 'light of the world' That's why we have to keep the miracle of Christmas in our hearts every day of the year. We cannot shine the light ourselves because we are not 'the Son'. Just like the 'Sun' is what gives physical light to the world, so too is Jesus the only source of spiritual light and life. the best we can do is be like the moon and reflect the light of the Son/Sun, the best we can, but it happens every day.
Just like the waxing and waning of the moon, there are times when we reflect more of Jesus than we do at other times, but the wonderful thing about it is that every day, the Sun/Son rises and the ways in which we might have failed to really show Jesus to others are brought into that light of Christ and we are made new and sent out to bear his light all over again. It's just another one of those ways that the world God has created also tells us the story of God's interaction with us every day.
So Keep you eyes open as you go about your day, and the rest of 2026 - You will see God at work in surprising ways if you don't pack Christmas away in a box and instead, you pay attention to all the ways he is showing his love, care, and presence with us every moment of every day!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I ask you today to help me to see. Please help me to see the ways you are at work in the world and the people around me and how you are calling me to be a part of that ongoing work. Please help me to actively seek and engage with the opportunities you have for me to be a part of your work in the world. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
TO PONDER
From time to time, I run a night with our youth in Newcastle where I invite them to come with questions about God, Faith, or Christianity. The subject of these verses is a regularly recurring question... "How can Jesus be 100% God and 100% human?"
It's a good question and a lot hinges on how you answer it. There are all sorts of ways people have tried to explain it throughout history, each captures something of the truth but not really the whole truth. There is something about this 100% + 100% = 100% equation that out human logic doesn't have capacity for or language to adequately explain.
But here's the crazy thing about Jesus and one of the reasons that Christmas is everyday. In John 17:20-22 Jesus prays a prayer for all those who would believe in him (that's you and me). Here's what he said,
“My prayer is not for them [the 12 disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity."
I don't know the 'how' but Jesus prays that we might have the same 'oneness' with him, as he had/has with God the Father, in order that we may have complete unity with Him and with one another. This is why Jesus was born in the first place, so that in being one with us, we might also be welcomed into the same kind of complete unity that exists within the triune Godhead.
Maybe that's a bit too much to take in on only the second day of the year... I guess that's the point, we have the rest of eternity to work it all out! Like we said, Christmas is everyday!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I'm not sure how all this 'oneness' and unity thing works, but I do know that my life only makes sense with you in it. So, today I pray, as you did, that I may be drawn deeper into oneness with you, just as you and the Father are one, and also that I may be in greater unity with those in my community, who you also want to be drawn into oneness with you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
TO PONDER
Happy New Year! What better way to be reminded that Christmas is everyday than this passage from Galatians. I know it sounds a bit "Easter-ish" talking about Christ's death already, only a week after we got busy celebrating his birth, but the two things really do have to go together is we are going to appreciate the fulness of what each of them mean for us on a daily basis.
Christmas is the beginning of the story of God's personal intervention to deal with the problem of our sin and the distance it created between us and Himself. When the apostle Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ", he is saying that his own life now means nothing unless it is lived in and for Jesus. This is also true for us. All the New Years resolutions, all the good intentions in the world, all the plans for an early retirement or financial security mean nothing if they are not achieved 'In Christ".
What does "In Christ" really mean, well there are probably as many ways to interpret that phrase as there are people in the world. However, I think that at the very least it means that our life from Christmas onwards finds its meaning only in Christ. In serving Him, loving Him and following Him. It doesn't mean you can't go on that overseas holiday or around the world cruise that you might have organised for this year, but it means taking that trip, looking for ways to live Jesus love and share his hope with the people you encounter while you are away. The meaning is not in the holiday itself, but how Christ is at work in and through you on the holiday.
That's how, in practical terms, Christmas is every day. It's learning to live each day not out of your own plans and strength but out of Christ's plans and his love for you. This is the gift that God freely makes available to us each day. This is what makes Christmas every day. So, how is Christ's presence with you going to inform how you live today and every other day of 2026?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Please help me to live and plan for my year out of the life you have given me in Christ Jesus. Help me to live not for myself, but so that others might come to know you and see you at work in and through my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
TO PONDER
The loose theme for all our verses this week is supposed to be the idea that 'Christmas is everyday', not just one day on the calendar. When I made that claim at church this week, one of the young children in attendance asked their mum, "If Christmas is everyday then why don't I get presents every day?" Let me take this moment to apologise to that parent.
However, the question isn't a bad one, the problem with it is that we sometimes fail to recognise the gifts God gives us each day. A new start by his mercy and grace, is a gift we receive every morning. and because we are made new and right with God each day, we also have the wonderful blessing of being able to help others recognise the new life that God offers to them in Christ as well.
Too often we view evangelism and witnessing to Jesus as the 'difficult' or 'burdensome' part of being a follower of Jesus. And look, there are times when our efforts in that direction are meet with opposition or rejection. However, they cannot change our standing with God. Each day we get a fresh start. Each day the failures and disappointments of the day before are taken away and we are made new.
This is perhaps never more exciting than on the eve of a New Year. We often use this time as a symbolic opportunity to put the past behind us and to step into a new year with all it's new hopes, dreams, and potential. To make a new start and change certain things about the way we live and the voices we make on a daily basis. However, the reality is that a New Year's Eve is really no different than any other day in the life of a Christian. Every day is a chance to let the God of creation make you new. So why not make your new years resolution to live each day as a new creation in Christ and to bring the reconciliation Jesus has established between you and the Father to those who are part of your life.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thanks you for new years, new days and new starts. Thank you that in Christ you even make me new. Please help me, by your Holy Spirit, to live each day as a new creation and to be a minister of your reconciliation to all those that come into my life in 2026. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
TO PONDER
As a parent, Summer holidays always leave me feeling a deeper sense of respect and admiration for my own parents. There are days and times when the lack of thoughtfulness my children display towards each other, and even towards their mother and I is simply astounding - I thought we raised them better than that.
The lack of gratitude they express, particularly with a pile of new Christmas presents still waiting to be packed away neatly, is also pretty upsetting.
The expectation that Elise and I would be their constant source of entertainment for every moment of the Summer, when they have each other, a cupboard full of board games, a backyard, bikes to ride, video games to play and various books to read and craft activities to do is simply mind-blowing to me. If I was like that for my own parents, I have only one thing to say - Sorry Mum and Dad!
And yet, when I reflect on this experience in light of today's reading, it reminds me somewhat of the dynamic of my relationship with God. I often go to him in prayer demanding that he fix my problems or make my life more the way I want it to be. I often go to him expecting a loving response, while I myself have been acting appallingly towards someone else and not been loving at all. I'm sure I have regularly asked for more from God without taking a moment to recognise and be grateful for all he has already given me. Then I realise the scope of his love for me and how I'm supposed to love my kids.
The love we get from God is not based on anything we do or don't do. Just like a parent's love for their children isn't based on what they do. it is simply based on who they are, they are your kids and so you love them - even when they might be frustrating you to pieces. God loves us because we are his children. Nothing you do will change that. Remembering what God has done through Jesus, to demonstrate that love to you, is a great story to tell others and a great way to inspire a greater and deeper love for others within yourself.
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, I am sorry for when I must make it hard for you to love me, but I know that you still do. Thank you for everything you have done to demonstrate that love, and to let me know that I am your child. Please help me to help others to know that too by sharing the story of all you have done for me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.