Christmas is a magical, busy season of joy and celebration. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the festivities and excitement that we don’t pause long enough to consider what the Christmas story is actually about.
Because if you look closely, the story of Christ’s birth challenges our assumptions about power, generosity, status, and what it actually means to reflect the heart of God.
The nativity isn’t merely a sentimental moment; it is God intentionally choosing the margins, stepping into human vulnerability, and redefining what greatness looks like.
And if we let it, that truth forces us to ask harder questions about the way we show up for others, especially the overlooked, the lonely, and the forgotten.
The first Christmas wasn’t designed around abundance, convenience, or comfort. It unfolded in obscurity, among shepherds no one valued, in a manger no one wanted, to a young woman no one expected.
And the people who recognized Jesus first weren’t the powerful. They were the poor, the humble, the ones most longing for God to break into their story.
Christmas, then, isn’t about what we receive; it’s about what we can give. How do we let the generosity of God shape the generosity we extend? Beyond celebrating Emmanuel, how do we embody Emmanuel for others?
In this episode, I’m joined by Rev. Dr. Emily Gierer, a pastor, educator, and spiritual leader who has spent nearly two decades guiding students, families, and faith communities.
Together, we explore why the true meaning of Christmas has far less to do with tradition…and far more to do with transformation.
There’s a lot of cultural pressure to make it all about “the magic of Christmas” and things like gifts. But we have to balance the magical with the message of Jesus. -Emily Dolan Gierer
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
God’s Upside-Down Kingdom
God chooses shepherds, not kings, to receive the first announcement of Christ’s birth.
What does that tell us about the kind of people God notices first?
Generosity Was Never Meant to Be Comfortable
The incarnation is the ultimate act of sacrificial giving. How does Jesus’ costly example redefine the way we think about giving our time, resources, and talents?
Why Loneliness Intensifies During Christmas
“God with us” is not poetic language; it’s God stepping into human fear, abandonment, and suffering. What would it look like to embody that same presence for someone who feels unseen this season?
How to Teach Children a Different Kind of Christmas
Kids are shaped more by what we model than what we say. How do families train children to value compassion over accumulation in a culture obsessed with getting?
About my Guest
Rev. Dr. Emily Gierer serves as the co-Lead Pastor of St. Timothy’s Church in Storrs, Connecticut, where she guides worship, preaches regularly, disciples students, and develops spiritual formation initiatives. With a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Emily has almost two decades of pastoral leadership and campus ministry experience at the University of Connecticut. In addition to her pastoral work, Emily teaches in the English Department at the University of Connecticut, offering courses in American literature, women’s literature, and Biblical literature. Together with Dr. Jana Holiday, she will also launch and co-lead Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s new Doctor of Ministry track, Women in Leadership, beginning in July 2027. Emily and her husband, Vince, live and minister in Connecticut with their two young daughters.
Ways to give this Christmas
https://www.st-timothys-storrs.org/
https://www.gordonconwell.edu/doctor-ministry/tracks/
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