Finding the Sacred in Silence: A Christmas Eve Reflection
It’s finally Christmas Eve. And if the days and weeks leading up to this holiday have kept you buried in your to-do list, perhaps a bit overwhelmed with all the busyness of the season, this is your moment to really settle in and humbly receive the gift of the Divine.
In our world that fills every quiet moment with sound—notifications and news, hurried conversations and endless distractions—this welcome into Christmas Eve is also a welcome into stillness. Christmas asks us to acknowledge the whispers of the Divine, to create space in our hearts for that still, small voice that speaks to us in silence. Tonight, let us welcome one another into celebration and contemplation, into the kind of deep listening where God’s voice can be heard.
The arrival of the Savior as told in the Book of Luke can be the perfect guide into the sacred stillness of the holiday season. These readings may seem very familiar to many of us, and that’s exactly the point. Each year when we tell this story, it becomes more and more a sacred part of our lives. In remembering the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we light a beacon of love and hope within ourselves throughout the rest of the year.
Let’s begin with the book of Luke:
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Here is the announcement that has echoed through two thousand years—a Savior is born in the profound stillness of night, in a simple manger when no one was looking. No palace with spectacle and ceremony. Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem to closed doors, to “no vacancy.” Harsh, I agree.
Yet in that humble rejection, in that quiet corner in a lowly manger, God chose to enter our world as a sacred infant, inviting us to draw near and discover this most wondrous gift for ourselves. The child entered the world with the simple cry of a newborn, surrounded by the breath of animals and the quiet wonder of his parents. No explosions, no fireworks—just the tender beginning of everything.
This time of year, it is essential to space in our souls for the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s necessary to require ourselves to become still and alert, ready to receive the Divine presence that comes through quiet recognition. The promise of salvation born in the Baby Jesus this night comes to those who have made room in their hearts to receive Him, to those who have cleared away the noise and clutter long enough to hear heaven whisper: this is my beloved Son, sent for you.
Let us return to the Book of Luke:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.
We now join those shepherds in the fields, keeping watch in the quiet hours of night when the world sleeps and silence reigns. These were working people, the regular guys who kept to themselves, performing their humble duties in darkness. They had to be quiet and watchful to even notice what was about to unfold—had they been distracted or complacent, they might have missed the greatest event in history. And so we too must abide, and allow the quiet revelation of this night to gently wash over us.
It was in the darkness of the night, under a vast sky of stars, that heaven broke through—with celestial light and angelic song emerging from the stillness. The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But notice the angel’s first words: “Fear not.”
Guided by the angel, those shepherds left their fields and came to the manger, and there they found peace—a family gathered around a newborn, the soft breathing of a baby, the hushed wonder of a moment that would echo through the centuries.
And so we also have no reason to fear. God meets us every day in our ordinary lives, in our routine responsibilities, in our sorrow and in our joy, in the dark stillness of the night. He is there for us. We need only to look up from our tasks and follow the light of the Savior as told in the Book of Luke.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
In that moment the song of earth is joined by the music of heaven. The shepherds stood breathless, trying to absorb what they were witnessing—hushed and awestruck, their hearts too full for words. This is the experience of the divine in its truest sense, the kind of wonder that stops us in our tracks and leaves us speechless.
A Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Ritual for Your Home
In homes and sanctuaries around the world, the light of our Savior is made manifest in the lighting of candles. As flames are passed from person to person, there is a natural peacefulness that falls over gathered people, a collective recognition that something holy is happening. Just like the shepherds, we too become silent in anticipation.
This tradition of candlelighting embodies everything we’ve been told through the scriptures in the Book of Luke: that we must quiet ourselves to hear the voice of God within us, that we must create that humble space for silence where our Savior awaits us and hold the sacred flame for others.
Here’s how to create this sacred ritual in your own home:
What You’ll Need:
- One candle for each person in your household
- A central pillar candle or Christ candle
- Matches or a lighter
- A quiet, darkened space
The Ritual:
- Gather together in a quiet room with the lights dimmed or off. Arrange yourselves in a circle around your central candle.
- Begin with stillness. Take a moment to breathe together, to let the busyness of the day fall away. Let silence settle over your gathering.
- Light the central candle while saying: “The light of Christ has come into the world.”
- Pass the flame. One person lights their candle from the central flame, then turns to the person next to them and shares the light. Continue until all candles are lit, moving slowly and intentionally.
- Hold the silence. Once all candles are lit, sit together in the glow for several minutes. Let this be a moment of profound quiet—no words, just presence.
- Close with gratitude. When you’re ready, invite each person to share one word of gratitude or hope before extinguishing their candle.
True peace, the kind that endures beyond the holiday rush, comes when we release our anxiety and weariness into God’s capable hands. As we pass the flame, let us also pass into a profound silence, into an active, attentive presence of the heart that can hear the deeper voice beneath all the seasonal noise. When we stop, when we breathe, when we allow stillness to clear away the clutter—that’s when we can receive what truly matters.
As we go about the celebration of this holiday season, may we discover that no matter who we are, what we have or don’t have, what we believe—we are never alone. We belong to God. We belong to one another. The Divine love of the Holy Spirit always holds us together. The joy of Christmas comes precisely because we’ve made space for it, because we’ve exchanged the anxiety of constant activity for the peace of simply being present. That’s where the Divine will truly show up in your life, if you let it.
Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you find the sacred in the silence.
Vicki Wiepking is always finding the Divine through people, animals, and Nature, while bringing the message of universal love and sacred stillness to all who seek it.