The Christmas Questions
Pastoral | December 18, 2025 | By: Ben Powers
When I think about Christmas, I always go back to when I was a kid. Everything felt simple and full of wonder. My family would dress up and head to our church for the Christmas Eve service. It was the same people, the same decorations, and the same songs every year. The candlelight moment was always my favorite. At the end, we would lift our candles and sing Joy to the World, and for a moment the whole room felt still. Afterward we went to the Millers’ house with a few families from church. Same appetizers, same desserts, same candy, same decorations. It never changed. That rhythm made it feel safe and familiar and warm. Those are the moments that come to mind when I think of Christmas.
As adults, Christmas carries a different kind of weight. We often have busy schedules, long to-do lists, and lots of expectations to meet. People also come to the season with questions they may not know how to say out loud. Questions about meaning. Questions shaped by fear. Questions shaped by disappointment. Questions that rise when life feels impossible.
People come to the season with questions they may not know how to say out loud.
When you look closely at the Christmas story, you notice that Scripture highlights these questions on purpose. The Gospel writers include five recorded questions in the Christmas narrative. They come straight from the text. They reveal real people trying to make sense of what God is doing around them, and they help us understand the kinds of questions people still carry today.
The first question comes from the Magi. Matthew writes, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). These men traveled a long distance because they sensed that something extraordinary had entered the world. They did not know everything. They simply followed what they did understand. Their question rises from a real longing for meaning and direction.
Many people today know that feeling well. They look at their lives and wonder why everything looks fine on the outside but feels empty on the inside. They ask why they feel restless or what they are really searching for. The Magi show us that God meets people at the beginning of their search—even before they fully understand what they are looking for.
The second question comes from Herod. “Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared” (Matthew 2:7). Herod’s world is built on control and protecting his power. A newborn king threatens all of it. His question is not curiosity. It is fear. He wants to know how close the threat is.
People today feel that same tension. They may not say it directly, but they wonder what surrender might cost them. They worry what God will ask of them or what might change if they open their life to Jesus. Herod’s question shows us that fear often sits underneath resistance. The Christmas story does not hide that fear. It brings it into the open and shows that God steps toward fearful people with clarity and purpose.
People today feel that same tension…They wonder what surrender might cost them.
The third question comes from Zechariah. He asks, “How shall I know this?” (Luke 1:18). Zechariah is an older man who had prayed for a child for many years. Nothing changed. When the angel tells him that God will give him a son, Zechariah responds from a place shaped by years of disappointment. His question is not defiance. It is exhaustion.
Many people today stand in that same space. They want to trust God, but their experience has worn them down. They wonder if God still hears them or if their prayers matter or if anything will ever change. Zechariah’s story reminds us that disappointment shapes people’s questions, and God moves toward those who are tired and unsure.
The fourth question comes from Mary. She asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). Mary is not questioning God’s power or resisting what He is doing. She believes the angel’s announcement. Commentators like Darrell Bock explain that her question rises from the simple reality that what God has promised is humanly impossible. Leon Morris notes that Mary’s question grows out of amazement rather than unbelief. She stands in a moment where nothing makes sense in a natural way and asks how God intends to accomplish something that has no clear pathway forward.
Many people today face similar moments. They look at their lives and say, “I do not see how this can turn around or how anything good can come from this.” Mary shows us that God often meets people in places that make no sense and works in ways they cannot yet see.
The final question comes from Jesus Himself. When His parents find Him in the temple He asks, “Why were you looking for Me?” (Luke 2:49). These are the first recorded words of Jesus in any Gospel. They are not harsh. They are revealing. Morris explains that Jesus uses this moment to draw Mary and Joseph into a deeper understanding of who He is. His question gathers every other question in the story.
The Magi are searching for meaning. Herod is wrestling with fear. Zechariah is tired from disappointment. Mary is facing an impossible situation. Jesus steps into the middle of all of it and asks why they were looking for Him. In other words, do you see who I am and do you understand why I came? This is the turning point. Christmas moves from people searching for answers to God revealing Himself in a clear and personal way.
That is the heart of Christmas. People do not always know how to direct their questions to God. Some ask sideways to others. Some ask from fear. Some ask because they are tired. Some ask because life feels impossible. God meets all of them. Christmas is not people working their way toward God. Christmas is God entering the questions people carry. He steps into meaning, fear, disappointment, and impossible circumstances. He reveals Himself in the middle of real life.
Christmas is not people working their way toward God. Christmas is God entering the questions people carry.
This is why Christmas Eve matters. People in our lives carry these same questions quietly. They may not know how to talk about them, but they feel them. As you think about friends, coworkers, neighbors or family members, consider who in your life might be asking one of these questions right now. Someone is searching. Someone is afraid. Someone is tired. Someone is stuck in a situation they do not know how to handle. Invite them to sit with you at Christmas Eve. Let them hear the story of a God who comes close and welcomes the questions people carry.
Christmas is God stepping into our questions. He still does that today. And Jesus still asks the same question: Why were you looking for Me?
Ben Powers
Groups & Enrichment Pastor
If you or a friend has big questions about life, faith, and meaning, Alpha is a great space to talk about them. And if you’d love to invite others into conversations about God and faith but aren’t sure how, join us for How to Talk about Jesus in January.
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