As we step into December, our calendars may start filling up quickly—but so does something else: gospel opportunity. Christmas has a way of softening hearts, stirring questions, and opening doors that often stay shut the rest of the year. And this Sunday, we begin a brand-new Christmas series from Isaiah 9 that leans deeply into that reality: A Child Is Born.

Our opening message is titled “Hope for a Ruined World.” We’ll step into the world Isaiah spoke to—a world much like ours, filled with confusion, violence, disappointment, and spiritual darkness. Isaiah didn’t sugarcoat the condition of God’s people. Their world was collapsing, their hopes were misplaced, and their fears were real. And yet… into all that darkness, God spoke a word of grace: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

That’s the anchor of our hope—not wishful thinking, not seasonal comfort, not sentimental tradition. Real hope came wrapped in flesh and laid in a manger. That is the message Isaiah held out to his world, and that is the message we get to hold out to ours.

I want to encourage—and lovingly challenge—you to use this month with purpose. People around you are more open to spiritual conversations right now than at any other time of the year. Here are a few simple ways to step into those moments:

Invite someone to sit with you this Sunday as we begin the series. A personal invitation is still one of the most effective tools for evangelism.
Have a gospel conversation with a coworker or friend who’s walking through their own darkness.
Pray by name for two or three people who need the hope of Christ—and ask God to give you natural opportunities to speak.

If Isaiah’s world was ruined and yet still reached by God’s grace, then there is no one in your world beyond reach either. Church family, let’s step into this season with expectation. Let’s pray boldly. Let’s invite faithfully. Let’s leverage this Christmas season to make Christ known. I cannot wait to open Isaiah 9 with you this Sunday!