Christmas 2025
And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: “Glory to God!” (Luke 2:9-14, KJV, as adapted for the score of Handel’s Messiah)
Fear not, said the angel.
To the young woman, who’d never imagined becoming pregnant by anything other than the usual method.
To her husband-to-be, who’d never dreamed he might have to face the scorn of his neighbors and family, for marrying a woman who wasn’t (ahem) as good as she ought to be.
To their would-be host in Bethlehem, embarassed that the house was already full.
To the oxen and ass and sheep, and the mice and the birds in the rafters, puzzled at the human child being born amidst them.
Fear not, said the angel.
To the shepherds, worrying about leaving their sheep unattended to hasten to witness the birth.
To the magi who were wise enough to give heed to a rumor, and the ones wise enough to stay behind so as not to chance looking so foolish.
To Pilate, and Herod, and Caesar, and all the powers and authorities who felt threatened by the birth of a child – a child – and couldn’t hear that the promise the child bore was for all.
Fear not, whispered the heavenly host.
As the word of the birth spread, unheard, to an oblivious world.
Stealing, unnoticed, into the hearts of the ones desperate for change, for healing, for wholeness.
To the ones terrified of letting go, of allowing joy to unfold.
Fear not, whispered the heavenly host.
Rustling through the grasses and the leaves of the trees.
Sung by the sun and the stars and the moon.
Fear not. Hear again, anew, the story that has been told since the world was begun.
In hundreds of different traditions, places, times, faiths:
Love is the center.
Justice will prevail.
Peace will abide.
I am with you. Always.
Fear not. With the fierce unending fearlessness that holds Love as its bedrock.
That knows that even though nothing has changed, yet everything has changed.
That calls us, too, to whisper and proclaim and sing:
Christ is born. Then, now. forever.
Among all peoples, all nations, all dreams.
Glory and love abounds.
Fear not.
As is our custom every year on Christmas, we pause from praying in response to specific news of the week, and invite you to join us in praying for every person in every nation and territory on Earth: Fear not!
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi
Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic
East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia
Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia
Gabon, Gambia, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana
Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy
Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (North), Korea (South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (formerly Burma),
Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Macedonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway
Oman
Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Island, Poland, Portugal
Qatar
Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda
Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria
Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Turks and Caicos Islands
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan
Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia, Zimbabwe
Credits: Artword by Gertrud Nelson, posted on her Facebook page Gertrud Nelson’s FB post December 24, 2025
List of the countries of the world and all but the smallest political dependencies and territories is adapted from List of Countries | Britannica
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