Father Randy Koenigsknecht
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In his first Christmas homily as a priest, Father Randy reflects on Christ’s birth as God’s decisive entry into human darkness. Drawing from the prophecy of Isaiah and the story of the shepherds, he reminds us that Jesus comes not for the powerful, but for those who recognize their need for him. The shepherds’ journey from darkness to light becomes a model of faith—small steps of trust that allow God to transform hearts. Father Randy emphasizes that Christ enters every human experience so that no one is ever alone, inviting each of us to let the light of Christ change us and to carry that light into the world.
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Father Randy Koenigsknecht:
Let me be among one of the first to wish you all a Merry Christmas. This is my first Christmas as a priest, and so I cannot tell you just how excited I am to lead us into this mystery of what God has done for us and to help facilitate the encounter he wants to have with each one of us tonight.
As always, that is the theme of Christmas—that God is reaching out to us. And so I invite you to listen carefully once again to those words from the prophet Isaiah: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.
Each one of us, in our own way, knows what it is like to walk in darkness. Almost all of us have certainly experienced the pain and isolation that comes from living for ourselves—the interior suffering of a heart closed to our neighbor and closed to God. Many of us know the darkness that comes from having to make peace with our sins and our failings, taking on the weight of them, always believing they will be a part of our lives and that we will never truly be free of them.
And still more of us know that modern darkness that comes from the busyness of life that threatens to swallow us whole—running from thing to thing to thing, so that there is no time for God, no time for what is most important in life. We are dragged down by sheer exhaustion. But that is the reason why Christmas is so great—because God has come to enter into our darkness to bring us out of it.
Notice when Jesus comes, the first people he reaches out to are not the rich and powerful. They are not the important people in the land. No, he reaches out to poor, rough shepherds standing guard in the fields outside of Bethlehem—people who would have known well what it is like to live in isolation, the darkness of that life, a life apart from God. And it is to these men that he is revealed.
Their dark fields are illuminated by the light of the angel who proclaims to them: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David, a Savior has been born for you, who is Christ the Lord.” Notice those two important words: for you. The child has been born for you.
God sees each one of them. Jesus’ mission is personal. He has come to call not the righteous but sinners—those who are willing to recognize their need for him and to trust him enough to take a step when he calls.
So the shepherds leave their dark fields. They journey to Bethlehem to see the one who has come to save them. They enter the stable, they see the infant in the manger, and they believe. They believe that God has come for them, that he can set them free from slavery to their sinful habits and to the passing things of this world. And in choosing to believe, they take the first step of faith.
It is not a blind step, because there is always light enough for those who want to see—just as there will always be enough darkness for those who wish to remain in the dark. But God shone a light in their darkness, and they allowed themselves to be changed.
In a little while, they will return to those same dark fields they came from, but they will never be the same men. They know and believe that God has come to them—that the light has come to set them free. The light of the angels, the light of that manger in Bethlehem, now goes with them in their hearts as they return to their fields, glorifying and praising God. And the night is no longer dark for them because God is with them.
They will continue to take those small steps, those small acts of faith, to live with and for him. And that right there is why Christ came. He entered our darkness so that we might have joy—so that the burdens we all carry might be lifted from our shoulders, so that we might walk in freedom with God, no longer living on our own, but sharing life with him.
Jesus enters our darkness as a humble child so that he might share with us in every human experience. He knows what it is like to mourn the loss of a friend or a beloved parent. He knows how sweet it is to enjoy a meal with a family, and how painful it is to be persecuted and rejected—especially by those we care about. He took on every one of these experiences so that we would never be alone in them.
No matter what suffering we endure or joy we embrace, we can know that God is with us—that he sees, he cares, and he is willing to walk with us through it all.
My brothers and sisters, the proclamation of the angel was given first to those shepherds, but it is not limited to them. That same message is declared to us today, who have likewise known the pain of living in darkness. This is not just an event of the past, but something that happens again and again whenever we allow those words to enter our hearts.
We may not see angels hovering around us in this church, but nonetheless, God is calling out and reaching for us—not just collectively, but personally. He sees you, right now, and he invites each one of us to take that small step, to move toward the light even when we cannot yet see clearly.
So today, as we join those shepherds kneeling beside the manger, the question is simple: Will I let this change me? No matter where we are in our faith, that question will always be relevant. God continually reaches out to us, but we must be willing to trust him and to take that next small step.
That is the great beauty of Christmas. This is a time of hope—a time when we can bring to God all the mess, all the ugliness in our lives and hearts, knowing that he is with us. He came so that we might have freedom and joy through walking with him.
And so I pray that this Christmas will mark a change for all of us—that we pause to recognize God’s presence with us, take that small step toward him, thank him for coming into our darkness, and then go forth bringing his light to those still in need of him.