ADVENT 2025
CHRISTMAS EVE 2025
December 24, 2025
Rooted and Grounded in Love
Sina Carroll
(Sina Carroll is a long-time member of LABC and is an active member of the Department Social Concerns)
Psalm 96:1-6 (NRSVUE)
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord; bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth.
Titus 2:11-14 (NRSVUE)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) (NRSVUE)
…Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
How better to be rooted and grounded in love than to reread and retell the story of the birth of a comforter, a wise counselor, a savior. His birth brings with it new days, new songs, new works to better know God. He brings with him an old belief in God the Father, seen again in a new light shining through His Son. Jesus is a new teacher, healer, leader and new north star shining for all to see. Jesus is a manifestation of a commitment from God to know and love us better.
In the chaos of our countries’ own upsetting and unwelcome change, in the midst of unnecessary disruption, willful harm, bitter cultural upheaval and reckless violence, returning and rooting deeper into the foundational and fundamental truth of faith: Love brings us closer to one another, closer to peace, and closer to the Prince of that Peace.
John reminds us “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” It’s even an English hymn by Thomas Tallas. A haunting and loving devotional song of holding close the Love which we know is eternally true, the Love which we have accepted as ours to share, ours to know. In keeping the commandments, we center love and devotion, and care for others as central to our faith.
Psalm 96 shares with us the wisdom to “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;’”
We can learn that there is no god before God, because there is an immutable world of good, kind, loving people who want to care for their neighbor. And we were born with the key to the door to unlock access to God for guidance. We look to God to bring equity and equality to our hearts so that we might live out that meaning in our own actions, in our own homes and streets, with our neighbors, friends, and even those who see the world differently. Because we can, we must ground ourselves in Love. And with that firm foundation, we cannot be shaken by those who disagree with equity or fight against Love.