December 28, 2025
Welcome to Praying the News!
intro
Happy Sunday,
It’s the fourth day of Christmas!
While you’re figuring out where you'll put your four calling birds and recovering from a busy Christmas season, let’s dare to do something countercultural: rejoice!
After all, this breathtaking statement is no less true today than it was three days ago:
“That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”
John 1:5, 9 (CSB)
For many, Advent’s long season of waiting in darkness is matched by twelve days of feasting—celebrating the light of the incarnation.
And yet, reading the news rarely invites us to rejoice. A cycle of headlines 24/7 makes us more acquainted than ever with the darkness of our world. In light of so much pain, joy can feel naive or even tone-deaf.
But Christmas tells us otherwise. The darkness is real, but it does not win. The light has come—and the darkness will not overcome it.
So whether joy is overflowing or hard-won, let’s practice it anyway. Not as denial, but as defiance. Let’s call out from the shadows: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.”
Let’s come to Him in joyful prayer:
God of light,
We celebrate all the ways You’ve pushed back darkness.
For lives restored, marriages healed, and prodigals returned.
For jobs offered, generosity given, and friendships found.
For degrees earned, addictions beaten, and new skills won.
Make us beacons of light1 in a world of darkness.
God of peace
We praise You for making things right.
When we are tempted to despair, You meet us with shalom;2
When we are urged to hurry, You say, “Peace, be still.”3
When we are enticed to hate, You teach us to love with what You first gave us.
When we sink into chaos, You are our fortress and stronghold.4
Make us champions of peace in a world of anxiety.
God of beauty
We marvel at the delightfulness of Your world,
For stories which illuminate, poems that invite,
Music that soars, food that nourishes.
Give us eyes to see and hearts to capture Your wonder.
Make us bearers of beauty in a world of ugliness
God of hope,
We choose to rejoice in the coming Kingdom.
One day we will see mountains low and valleys high,5
Crooked ways made straight, and brokenness restored.
Until that day, we hold onto these promises with joy.
Make us vessels of hope in a world of fear.
Amen.6
With resilient joy,
Peter Nittler
Recommended Reading / Listening
1. Matthew 5:13-16
2. John 14:27
3. Mark 4:39
4. Psalm 46:1-3
5. Isaiah 40:3-5
6. “Dawning Light of Our Salvation” by Wendell Kimborough
*from TPO’s partners
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