As the year draws to a close, the season brings shorter days and longer nights, a period that can feel somber in various ways.
Charles Dickens once described this time as one "when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices," a sentiment that resonates with many. This is why the messages delivered from pulpits in the weeks before December 25 often emphasize joy—a necessary counterpoint to the darkness.
For believers, the celebration centers on the birth of Jesus and the promise of salvation it represents.
Beyond religious boundaries, the holiday offers universal joys: companionship, shared meals with family, acts of kindness, and efforts to aid those in need. These ideals of peace and goodwill remain particularly significant as Christmas 2025 approaches.
This year, concerns about finances, food security, national stability, and immigration weigh on many minds.
"During tense and uncertain times like ours, it’s helpful to remember that God does not abandon us or keep us at arm’s length," stated Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, in his annual Christmas homily.
Guiding the Faithful
Cardinal Tobin, who began his role in 2017, oversees approximately 1.3 million Catholics in several New Jersey counties.
"But the fact of God’s close intimacy places uncomfortable demands on us," he continued in his address. "What are we doing to care for the poor and homeless? How are we working to change cultural, political and economic systems that are unjust and oppressive? Do we welcome strangers, especially those who have been cast out of their homeland?"
While Christmas sermons traditionally draw from the Gospels of Luke or Matthew, which recount the nativity with differing details, clergy tailor their messages to their congregations' specific circumstances.
Here are insights from various churches in the region for the 2025 holiday season.
Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church
Focusing on the concept of "Sanctuary" and using Luke 2:7 as a foundation, Rev. Miso Park of this Upper Saddle River congregation highlights the nativity story's mention of "no room at the inn."
"Every year, I preach about making room for Jesus," she said. "In the Christmas story, when Mary was giving birth, there was no room at the inn. And Jesus was born in a stable. I always encourage people to make room in their hearts for others."
She explains that creating sanctuary involves more than physical space; it means offering emotional support, much like Mary and Elizabeth did for each other in the biblical narrative.
"So it's about how they supported each other, and how God made them connected. In the same way we can support each other. We can laugh together, weep together, support each other. I encourage people to be sanctuary for one another."
While aware of contemporary associations with "sanctuary cities," Park clarifies her focus is broader. "I believe as a Methodist pastor, we should protect all people who are marginalized and in need," she noted.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton
Father Daniel O’Mullane, leading this Roman Catholic parish, centers his message on "Emmanuel: God With Us," referencing Isaiah and Matthew.
He describes Jesus' arrival as "God jumping in with both feet," emphasizing the humble manner of the incarnation.
"At Christmas I always try to speak about the sheer audacity of God’s love," O'Mullane remarked. "That the Creator of the universe enters His own world powerless, a child who can’t even hold up His head."
This illustrates that God is not distant but intimately present, entering human vulnerability to bring light into darkness.
"It means that God has decided to be present in everything human — in weakness, in weariness, even in rejection," he said. "His power is love, and the method of that love is mercy. It’s what I sometimes call the method of God’s madness: self-giving love that renews the world from within."
His core message for this Christmas is one of hope: "There is no place we can be that God also cannot be."
Unity of Sussex County
Rev. Shea Maultsby of this New Thought congregation in Lafayette explores the theme "Expressing the Inner Light" through Luke's account of the Annunciation.
She points out that initial doubt is a common human response to divine calls, as seen with biblical figures like Moses and Jonah.
"At first Mary doesn't believe it," Maultsby observed. "How could I be the one that's going to bring about this child?"
She relates this to modern challenges where individuals feel unprepared to help others or take stands.
In the New Thought perspective, which emphasizes inner divinity, the angel Gabriel symbolizes an internal guidance. "We look at Gabriel the angel as the higher nature within us that's connected to the Christ-consciousness," Maultsby explained. "And when it illuminates within us, we know something we're really supposed to do."
First Baptist Church in Paterson
Rev. William Jackson's advent series, titled "Ascent," is inspired by Psalms 120-133, known as the "Psalms of Ascent."
"They're the psalms the Hebrew pilgrims sang on their way to the annual Feast of the Temple," Jackson said. "It starts with 'In my distress I cried out unto the Lord and He heard me.' And then each successive psalm starts to look more hopeful."
The journey culminates in Psalm 133's celebration of unity: "How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
This message of gradual uplift resonates deeply with his diverse, urban congregation, which includes many facing economic hardship, homelessness, or immigration challenges.
"Basically we try to give people hope," Jackson stated. "You do your best, pray about it, and hope that God speaks through you and helps you to meet people where they're at."
Church of the Savior in Paramus
Rev. Paul A. Miller, a Lutheran pastor, focuses on the theme "Hope is born to us" using Luke 2.
"God comes to those who are the most weak, the most forgotten, the marginalized," Miller emphasized. "No matter what you're going through, God sees you."
Current events, including immigration issues highlighted by nativity scenes altered with "ICE Was Here" signs, have influenced his message.
He reminds his congregation that Jesus was born to refugees in humble circumstances, with shepherds—often overlooked in society—as the first witnesses.
"God comes to the shepherds, who are a class of forgotten people," Miller noted. "No one says, 'I want my kid to be a shepherd when he grows up.'"
He encourages his mostly privileged congregants to recognize their responsibility toward others. "We're called to look after each other. Take care of each other."
His homily concludes: "God incarnate is a baby. To remind us that each of us is a beautiful child of God, and there is a new way to live that does not require us to destroy each other to feed the empire."
