Christmas Greetings
from Sioux Falls - December 2025
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a personal photo with my Christmas letter, so here’s one that was taken last spring:
2025 Christmas photo
(clearly by default)
As you can see, I’m closely tracking the most important cultural shifts of our time, as viewed through the vicissitudes of our local minor league baseball team (arguably the best lens for assessing such things). I’m also hoping for an NIL deal here... Sadly, so far NIL has generated nil for we fans, though perhaps I can become an exception… even as a walk-on.
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Among my current hobbies, this past year I’ve gotten into affordable time travel. I’ve had the most success in returning to the late 1960s. It seems the best way to make the trip is by finding an era-appropriate radio station while running my car through a local car wash, as illustrated here:
Despite my frantic warnings during these time-travel ventures, I’ve been unable to change the course of world events sparked back then. On the other hand, I’ve reliably determined that, indeed, the Walrus was Paul.*
* - reference
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As for managing the challenges of modern life, I otherwise continue to enjoy various comic stress-breakers, both new and old. I often feel like the man in this comic, watching these disingenuous parades on both sides go by (letting them run their course, as they typically do):
Here's more of this kind of thing, if you could use some comic relief as well.
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On the actual theme of Christmas, here's a reflection on how Jesus
was welcomed into the world, meeting us where we are:
We often
overlook the most tragic part of the Christmas story: that when Jesus was still
an infant, Joseph fled with his family to a foreign country to escape the mass
infanticide perpetrated by King Herod and his soldiers...
Christ’s advent
happened in and through suffering and darkness. Jesus did not come in power and
majesty but in apparent weakness and ignominy...
Mary thus gave
birth to the King of kings amid squalor, poverty, and oppression. Christ’s
first visitors were social outcasts and religious outsiders—mere common
shepherds. From the moment he was born, Jesus came in powerful weakness for the
downtrodden, the marginalized, and the helpless...
The unfolding of
the Christmas story revealed the purposes of God and the nature of Christ’s
kingship long before Jesus began his public ministry. The Father could have
chosen for Jesus to be born into royal splendor, power, and universal fame. But
He didn’t. Instead, God displayed His glory and mighty power by working though
seemingly weak and foolish means to reach into the dark depths of our human
condition so that He could redeem a lost people and recreate a broken world...
Christ’s light
pierces the darkness of our sin, pain, and suffering. God gives us a Messiah
who comes to us directly through suffering, darkness, and doubt...
The story of
Advent can fill us with true hope precisely because it unfolds amid the
darkness that afflicts us. Christ’s radiance shines most beautifully in the
shadows. So let us not turn aside from this vision. We come to adore the Light
of the World who descended into our night. He is the Dayspring from on high who
has come to His people. He is Emmanuel — God with us.
Here is the full article, by Matthew Kuchem.
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With that, please join me in taking stock of the true
meaning and importance of the incarnation.
Merry Christmas, Y’all!
