THE WORD WHO ENTERS HISTORY TO HEAL IT

Homily for Christmas Day – Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18

“At various times and in different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He has spoken to us through a Son” (Heb 1:1-2). With these words, the Letter to the Hebrews sets the tone for Christmas. Christmas is not merely about a child being born; it is about God finally and fully speaking Himself to the world.

The Church places before us today the majestic Prologue of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word” (Jn 1:1). This deliberate echo of Genesis is not accidental. John wants us to see Christmas through the lens of creation. The same Word through whom God said, “Let there be light,” is the Word who now enters the darkness of human history. Christmas, therefore, is not only a birth; it is a new beginning. Christmas is God’s response to the Fall.

Genesis tells us that creation was good, harmonious, and filled with light. But the Fall disrupted that harmony. Sin introduced chaos, darkness, confusion, and death into the human story. Humanity lost not only innocence but intimacy with God and from that moment, creation groans for restoration (cf. Rom 8:22). The question then becomes: How does God respond to a broken creation? Christmas gives the answer - not by destroying and starting over, but by entering into what is broken.

John declares: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). This is the heart of Christmas theology. The Greek word used here - eskēnōsen - means “to pitch His tent.” God does not visit briefly; He takes up residence. God does not save from a distance. He assumes our flesh, our vulnerability, our history. The eternal Word takes on time. The invisible God becomes visible. The immortal enters mortality. This is not poetic symbolism; it is concrete reality. Christianity stands or falls on this claim: God truly became man.

Hebrews reinforces this truth by describing the Son as “the refulgence of God’s glory and the very imprint of His being” (Heb 1:3). To see Christ is to see God. There is no clearer revelation beyond Him. Christmas, then, is the definitive self-disclosure of God - not merely what God says, but who God is: self-giving love.

Isaiah’s proclamation - “Your God reigns!” (Is 52:7) - might sound surprising in the context of a manger. But this is precisely the paradox of Christmas. God reigns not through force, but through humility. Not through domination, but through closeness. The kingship announced by the prophet is revealed in a child laid in a feeding trough. This tells us what kind of God we worship and what kind of kingdom He establishes.

John also reminds us that the coming of the Word demands a response. “He came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him” (Jn 1:11). Christmas is grace, but grace can be refused. Yet to those who receive Him, something extraordinary is offered: the power to become children of God (Jn 1:12). Christmas restores what was lost at the Fall - our filial relationship with God.

Today, we celebrate more than a feast; we celebrate a decision God made - to be with us, to remain with us, and to save us from within our own story. Christmas assures us that no darkness is too deep, no humanity too wounded, for God to enter. This is our joy today: the Word has become flesh, and by entering our world, He has opened for us the way back to God.