Do you feel ready for Christmas?
It sneaks up,
wrapped in year-end busyness,
tangled in parties and plans,
always just a step ahead of my heart.
But the first Christmas—
were they ready?
A world forgot its God,
hearts veiled in distance.
They needed a voice in the wilderness,
someone to clear the way,
turning heads and hearts,
calling for repentance.
Repentance—
a word we hide from,
a mirror we flinch to face.
But it shifts everything,
mends fissures in family,
turns parents toward children,
heals what we thought was too late.
Zechariah and Elizabeth—
faithful, childless,
grief etched deep into their prayers.
Then the angel spoke:
“You will have a son,
name him John—
God has been gracious.”
And yet—
“How can I be sure?” Zechariah asked,
his voice faltering under the weight of doubt.
Silence followed,
not punishment, but a pause—
nine months of quiet
to watch promises take root,
to witness faithfulness unfold.
At the naming,
the crowd whispered,
“Not John—
there is no John in your family.
Zechariah Jr, surely?”
But Zechariah wrote,
steady hand, clear heart:
“His name is John.”
And his voice returned,
rising in song,
a melody of tender mercy,
light piercing the darkness,
a God who keeps promises.
Christmas readies itself,
with or without our pace.
But this season—
let repentance make room,
let silence refine faith,
let joy rise in songs of tender mercy,
and light find us,
living in darkness,
to bring us home.
Original message by Andrew West, The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW
The Afterword 
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