By the Rev. Micah Krey
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A
December 21, 2025
Key Verse: “God is with us.” — Matthew 1:23
The Fourth Sunday of Advent brings us to the quiet, disruptive heart of the season: God chooses to draw near to us not in spectacle, but in vulnerability. The promise given through Isaiah, reaffirmed in Matthew and echoed in the psalmist’s longing, is simple and yet overwhelming: God is with us. This nearness is comforting, but it is also unsettling. It asks something of us.
Stewardship in this season grows from that promise. It looks less like management and more like reception, especially in times of uncertainty. It is the spiritual practice of making room for God’s presence and participating in the surprising ways that presence reshapes our lives.
Isaiah speaks to a fearful king grasping for control. Judah is under threat, and anxiety rules the day. Into this uncertainty, God offers a sign: a child will be born. A fragile infant is not the assurance Ahaz seeks, but it is the assurance he needs. It reveals that God’s power is not the kind that dominates or coerces, but the kind that shares life and grows slowly, often unnoticed. Stewardship in this frame means trusting that God’s renewing work often begins in small, tender places: our relationships, our communities, our daily acts of faithfulness.
Matthew echoes Isaiah’s promise through Joseph’s story. Joseph must decide whether to embrace the disruption of his expectations or cling to what feels safe. His choice to welcome Mary and the child is an act of courageous faithfulness. He trusts that God is at work even when the path is unclear and the situation is complicated. Joseph models a form of stewardship that tends to the promise placed in his care, even when it demands more of him than he might have chosen.
Psalm 80 captures the deep ache that accompanies this hope: “Restore us, let your face shine, that we may be saved.” The psalmist’s plea reminds us that stewardship is born not only from responsibility but from longing. We long for restoration—personally, communally, globally. God meets us in that longing not with quick solutions but with presence. The name Emmanuel answers the psalmist’s cry.
This week, preachers can lift up stewardship as the practice of living from this promise. When God draws near, we are invited to draw near to others. When God entrusts us with vulnerable hope, we are called to nurture it. When God is “with us,” we are called to be “with one another.”
Stewardship becomes the daily work of making space for God’s presence, attending to the fragile places where new life is growing, trusting that God is at work even when circumstances feel uncertain, and embodying God’s nearness for others.
As Advent draws to a close, we remember that God’s presence is not an abstract idea but a living reality entrusted to us. Emmanuel comes to comfort us, and to reshape how we live, give, forgive, and hope. To be stewards of this promise is to live as people visited by grace and carrying that grace into the world.
In Worship
Advent 4 often arrives with a full liturgy already: extra music, children’s programs, special prayers, and the final wreath lighting. Rather than adding another layer, consider leaning into simplicity. Use the existing Advent wreath moment to emphasize the promise of Emmanuel, God with us and our call to make room for that presence in daily life. Brief, focused language can frame this: naming longing, naming hope, and trusting that God draws near in quiet, ordinary ways.
Because many congregations already have full services this Sunday, a meaningful stewardship practice might be offered not in worship but for worshippers to take home. Provide small slips of paper or simple tags (tucked into the bulletin or placed in baskets at the exits) with an invitation: “Where do you need God’s presence this week? Where can you show God’s love?” Encourage households to place their tag in a home nativity scene or near a candle as a personal reminder of Emmanuel’s promise. This gentle, at-home practice honors the fullness of the season without adding to the Sunday load.
Worship with Youth
This season is filled with uncertainty. That’s true in the biblical story and true for youth navigating real pressures: holiday concerts and exams, shifting friendships, college decisions, family stress, and the noise of social media. Life can feel like bouncing from one thing to the next without much control. Joseph’s story speaks directly to this experience: plans unravel, fear rises, and yet God shows up right in the middle of the confusion. Emmanuel is not an idea, it is presence in the real, complicated moments of life.
Invite youth to explore this by identifying “Emmanuel moments,” times when they felt supported, encouraged, comforted, or guided. Give each student a card labeled Where I Saw Emmanuel. Invite them to write one moment from the past month when they sensed God’s presence, through a person, a decision, a kindness, or even a hard truth. They can keep the card in a journal, backpack, or Bible, or place it in a communal bowl as a shared testimony. This helps them name God’s presence not just in Advent, but in the ongoing uncertainty of their lives.
Worship with Children
Children understand the power of presence. Begin by asking them: “Who helps you feel safe or loved when you are worried or scared?” Connect this to the promise of Emmanuel, God with us. God comes close to us in Jesus, just like a trusted adult or friend comes close when we need comfort.
Have children pair up. Ask: “When you feel scared or unsure, what helps you most? Someone holding your hand? Sitting next to you? Saying something kind?” Each pair practices one simple gesture (standing close, giving a thumbs-up, etc.) that communicates support. Connect it with:
“God is like that—Emmanuel—always close, always supporting us.”
Previous reflections for Advent 4, Year A:
2022 – Only Immanuel, God’s gift to us, provides fulfillment
2019 – An Advent course correction
2016 – The rest of your story
2013 – Change of plans
2010 – What about Joseph?
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