Christmas Eve: Will You Keep Waiting for Him?

It’s Christmas Eve. The time we have been waiting for is here. The cookies have been baked. The presents are wrapped. Carols have been sung. The doors on the Advent calendar are all open except one. Tonight, we light the Christ candle, the final candle on our Advent wreath.

I remember as a child thinking that it took so long for Christmas Eve to arrive. December always felt like the longest month. As I’ve gotten older, each year only seems to go faster. I find myself wishing the month would slow down and last longer. Usually, waiting for something we want to arrive can feel wearisome. But Christmas is different. There is something beautiful in the waiting.

What makes times of waiting either joyful or wearisome? I think it all depends on what we are waiting for, doesn’t it? Waiting can be a time of joyful expectation if we are filled with hope that something great is going to happen. Knowing that there is a celebration approaching fills each day with hopeful anticipation.

But if we are full of dread or fear, then waiting can feel frustrating or even debilitating. Instead of hope, we are filled with worry and anxiety. Either because we don’t want the thing we are waiting for to arrive, or we fear the thing we are hoping for will never actually materialize.

We can wait for Christmas Day with joyful anticipation because we know that December 25th is sure to arrive. The calendar marches forward whether we’re ready or not. We can trust it’s going to happen, unless the Lord calls us home or He returns before then, of course.

So, waiting is joyful when it’s grounded in trust, and Christmas Eve proves that God is trustworthy. That’s because Christmas Eve provides proof that God keeps His promises: God sent the Messiah, just as He promised. But the real question isn’t whether we’ve waited for Christmas to arrive. The real question is whether we are still waiting for Him.

Jesus promised that one day He would return. He made it clear that no one knows when that will be, but He said there will be signs. In Luke 21:25-31, Jesus said, “‘Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is near.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they put out leaves you can see for yourselves and recognize that summer is already near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.’”

In the same way that there will be signs that Jesus is soon to return, there were signs that told of when and in what way He would be born.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s prophets foretold that one day He would send a Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”

But this didn’t happen right away. Christmas didn’t arrive quickly. Generations of people came and went who never actually saw the fulfillment of this promise. They had heard about it. They sang songs about it. They held on to it as a hope. But many died still holding the promise, long before the Father sent Jesus.

Christmas took a long, long time to arrive. But when it did, it was right on time.

Despite the long wait, the people who had hope were certain this prophecy would happen. Isaiah 25:9 confidently says, “On that day it will be said, ‘Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’” There was no doubt that the Messiah would arrive, that the waiting would one day be over, and that His arrival would bring celebration. They just didn’t know when this would happen.

They had other prophesies, too, like the one found in Hosea 11:1. This prophecy looks back to the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt, but it’s also looking forward to the future Messiah. It says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” We know this is also speaking about Jesus because in Matthew 2:14-15, it says that Joseph “got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.”

That Jesus was the promised Messiah is shown clearly in the New Testament. Matthew’s gospel begins by showing us Jesus’ ancestry; John’s declares that He is the light of the world and the Word who became flesh. And as we move through the New Testament, we see Jesus prove that He is the Son of God as He performs miracles, dies on the cross, is buried, and then rises from the dead. His resurrection changes all His disciples, and they go out and share the gospel message with the world. Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross is further proof that He was the Messiah, sent to save us from our sins.

And all of that is abundant proof that God was faithful to do what He said He would do. Jesus’ birth is proof that God keeps His promises. That is why, when talking about why we should patiently endure suffering and sacrificially love other people, in Romans 15:12-13, Paul declares: “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.’ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

It’s because God kept His promise to send a Messiah that we can believe His other promises. We can trust Him. That is why we can have hope, peace, and joy while we go through this life, waiting for Him to return. Trusting God fills us with hope, peace, and joy.

Hope is believing in God’s promises.

Peace is quiet confidence that produces courage, trusting that God will help us.

Joy is a harmony and balance that is deeper than any sorrow we face.

These are not feelings we manufacture. They are the fruit of trusting a faithful God while we wait. We can trust that because God was faithful in the past, He will continue to be faithful to help us endure whatever we face today.  

Christmas Eve is proof of God’s faithfulness and why, as we wait for His return, we can remain in His love, full of hope, peace, and joy, even when the waiting seems long and uncomfortable.

The question is: Are we waiting for Him?

During Advent, we wait. If, during the days leading up to His birthday, we remain focused on Jesus’ love, then we can have hope, peace, and joy as we wait for Christmas Day to arrive. At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Unfortunately, for a lot of people, the month of December is barely distinguishable from other months. And even if someone does celebrate Christmas, oftentimes it doesn’t reflect any faith in Jesus. Despite what the world thinks, Christmas is not a pagan holiday that’s centered on Santa Claus, songs about reindeer and presents. At least, it’s not supposed to be about those things.

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth; a day to rejoice that God sent us a Savior who humbled Himself by becoming a baby so He could redeem us from our sins. Christmas is supposed to be about Jesus. During the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day, we are supposed to prepare ourselves by keeping Jesus centered in our thoughts and actions as we seek Him in prayer and Scripture and as we do acts of love and kindness for those around us. As the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season, and during Advent, everything we do should be centered on Him. We are supposed to interrupt our regular routines to focus on Jesus and prepare to celebrate His birthday.

Well, that’s a perfect metaphor for our whole life as a Christian, isn’t it? I think Christmastime is a perfect illustration of what the life of a believer should be like. We are to live each day keeping Jesus centered in our thoughts and actions as we seek Him in prayer and Scripture and as we do acts of love and kindness for those around us. We are supposed to structure our lives in such a way that we focus on Jesus and prepare to meet Him. After all, shouldn’t everything we do be in anticipation of the day when we will meet Him face to face and celebrate with Him?

I love Christmastime as we wait for Christmas Eve because Advent boils down the bigger story of our lives into a simple, unchanging message: God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to earth, to be humbly born as a child, so He could become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He loved us so much that He entered our world as one of us and willingly bore our sins on the cross, allowing us to be forgiven and cleansed. And just as the people waited for God to send Jesus the Messiah to do all this, we now are waiting for His return by remaining in His love, full of hope, peace, and joy.

Christmas is teaching us to wait for God to fulfill His promises, and it proves to us that He is worthy of our trust and faith.

But like all waiting, it’s not easy. It can be uncomfortable. There will be suffering and trouble. But Jesus’ birth as an infant into a fallen sinful world tells us that the Christian life is not about eliminating every risk or living without suffering—it’s about trusting a faithful God in the middle of a world that is broken.

This is important because Christmas doesn’t teach us to wait by pretending that life is easy or safe.

When God finally sent the Messiah, Jesus didn’t arrive in a way that removed danger or uncertainty. He was born as a baby who was weak and vulnerable. He was born into a world that was broken and dangerous.

Christmas is not God saying, “Now nothing bad will happen.”

Christmas is God saying, “I am with you—even here—in the midst of all this trouble.”

Christmas doesn’t promise a life of ease to us; it promises God’s presence to us in the midst of waiting.

But that is why, just as we’ve done as we’ve waited for Christmas to arrive, we are to study the words of Jesus. During Advent, by reading God’s Word, we saw that even though He told us there would be suffering and trouble, we are not to lose hope because we have the possibility of peace and joy if we simply remain in His love.

And that’s how we are to go through this life as we wait for God to return. We are to wait for Him to help us in all areas of our lives. And we are to wait full of hope, peace, joy and love—not because life is easy or safe—but because God is faithful. We can wait for the Lord even during the storms of life.

Looking again at Romans 15:13, which says, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” I want us to read a quote by theologian Alexander MacLaren. In his commentary on this verse, he tells us the difference between enduring a storm and being destroyed by it. He writes: “It depends on how sorrow and trial are borne, whether they produce a dreary hopelessness which sometimes darkens into despair, or a brighter, firmer hope than more joyous days knew. We cannot say that sorrow produces hope. It does not, unless we have this connecting link—the experience in sorrow of a God-given courage which falters not in the onward course, nor shrinks from any duty. But if, in the very press and agony, I am able, by God’s grace, …to look forward with the sure confidence that through all the uproar of the storm, He will bring me to my harbor of rest where there is peace…The trial borne with brave persistence yields a store of sweet hopes. If we can look back and say, ‘Thou hast been with me in six troubles,’ it is good logic to look forward and say, ‘and in seven Thou wilt not forsake me.’ When the first wave breaks over the ship, as she clears the heads and heels over before the full power of the open sea, inexperienced landsmen think they are all going to the bottom, but they soon learn that there is a long way between rolling and foundering, and get to watch the highest waves towering above the bows in full confidence that these also will slip quietly beneath the keel as the others have done, and be left harmless astern.”

If we have faith in Jesus, then we will be filled with hope, peace, joy and love even during storms. We will face each day knowing the Lord is with us. That should fill us with a positive expectation that no matter what happens, God will help us. Just as He has helped us in the past. This is what Christmas teaches us.

At least, that’s what Christmas can teach us if we let it. But so many Christians aren’t living in any way that reflects that they are waiting for Jesus to return. The question is: are they waiting on Jesus for anything?

Whenever God’s people stop trusting His timing, they start creating problems. The Bible is filled with examples of people who did not wait for the Lord, and they suffered for it. Think of the example of Abraham and Sarah. God made them a promise that they would have a baby. But they didn’t wait for God’s timing. They took matters into their own hands. The child that Abraham fathered through Sarah’s servant became a source of suffering to them and all the people around them.

Look too at the example of the Israelites as a group: they would not wait for God to lead them. They started complaining and worshiped other gods. God could not bless them because they were so unfaithful to Him. So many of them died due to their lack of trust in Him. They didn’t believe His promises. They refused to wait even for Moses to come down from the mountain when he was speaking with God. They impatiently crafted an idol and started worshiping it before he came back. God poured out His judgement on them. Talk about a perfect example of what happens when we don’t wait on the Lord!

Instead, we should do as Psalm 27:14 tells us: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.”

That doesn’t mean that we can just sit back and do nothing. This sort of waiting is active. It shapes how we live. It’s not passive; it is faithful obedience. We are to wait with hope, peace, and joy, and remain in His love.

We wait with hope by realizing that every day is an opportunity to live differently—to live faithfully—trusting in His promises while we wait.  

We wait with peace by obeying what He has already told us to do in His Word and trusting in His ability to help us. That peace produces courage—not reckless action, and not fearful inaction—but faithfulness as we follow Him.

We wait with joy by not allowing trials to steal it from us. We can keep our joy by taking our needs to the Lord in prayer, trusting His timing instead of trying to take matters into our own hands.

We wait, remaining in God’s love, by obeying His commands and loving those around us.

If we remain in Christ’s love each day, then our days do not have to be ruled by anxiety, fear, or despair. Each day can be hopeful, peaceful and full of joy—not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.

If we remain in Christ’s love, then our hope is not unfounded, our peace is not without cause, and our joy is not without reason.

To close, I want to share one more thing that MacLaren wrote. He said:

 “Faith leads to joy and peace…In the measure of thy trust shall be the measure of thy joy and peace.”

To wait with hope, peace, and joy, we must not only remain in Christ’s love, but we must trust in the Lord’s timing. The more we trust Him, the greater hope, peace, and joy we will have and the easier all waiting becomes. Whether that waiting is for the Lord to fulfill a personal promise to us; for Him to help us with a need we have; or for Him to return.

What are you waiting for right now? Are you trusting in God’s timing? Are you waiting with the Lord, or have you tried to go on without Him?

Christmas Eve reminds us that God never fails to keep His promises.

The same God who came as a baby in Bethlehem will come again in glory.

And while we wait, He does not leave us empty-handed:

He gives us hope.

He comforts us with peace.

He fills us with joy.  

He helps us remain in His love.

Let us wait for the Lord. Let us place our trust in Him, for He has proven again and again that He is faithful. He will keep His promises. In His perfect timing, He will come through if we wait on Him.

As we light the last candle and sing Silent Night, let’s remember that Christmas Eve is proof that God is faithful. It is proof that He loves us so much that He came to be with us. And as we wait for His physical return, let us draw near to Him. Let us remember all that He has done for us and all that He will still do in us and through us until our lives here are over and we are with Him for all eternity.

He is the God Who came to be with us. Emmanuel, God with us.