Third Gift

How Jesus Christ came to be born

Gospel                             Matthew 1:18-24

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 

Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ 

When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

Waiting When Nothing Makes Sense

by Jay Ar Almanzor

Way back in 2023, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. After six years of being a teacher, I finally chose to resign and pursue freelancing. It was not part of my original plan. It was scary. And yes, it was a real leap of faith.

I asked myself so many questions during that season. Am I making the right choice? Will I regret this? Will I survive without the security of a regular paycheck? I had no clear answers. All I had was a quiet nudge in my heart telling me it was time to move.

Two months later, I landed a full time job as a digital content creator for a well known finance guru in the Philippines. I was grateful, but also overwhelmed. Freelancing was a world I barely knew. There were days I doubted myself, wondering if I was really doing things right or simply figuring everything out as I went.

Almost a year later, that season ended unexpectedly. He decided to stop his digital content creation. Once again, I found myself in a place of waiting. No clear next step. No guarantee of what comes next. Just another pause.

And yet, it was in that quiet season that another door opened. A well known speaker, who was connected to him, reached out and offered me an opportunity to work with him. That was two years ago. Until now, I continue to walk this journey, growing in ways I never imagined when I first left teaching.

Looking back, I realize how often God works in the waiting.

There was a time when I kept asking God for answers right away. I wanted clarity. I wanted assurance. I wanted to know exactly where everything was going. But waiting taught me something deeper. That peace does not come from having everything figured out. It comes from trusting God even when the next step is still blurry.

There are moments in life when everything we thought was secure suddenly feels fragile. When plans fall apart. When the future feels unsure. When all we can really do is wait. And waiting is never easy. It tests our faith. It humbles our need for control. It stretches our trust.

In the Gospel, before clarity came, there was confusion. Before peace arrived, there was fear. A man stood at a crossroads, holding plans that suddenly no longer made sense. He could have walked away quietly. He could have chosen what felt safest. But in the middle of that uncertainty, God spoke. And when light finally came, obedience followed.

Justice and peace do not arrive instantly. They grow slowly in the background, often in ways we do not notice at first. In my waiting, I learned that God was not delaying my life. He was shaping it.

What once felt like delay now feels like preparation. What once felt like loss now looks like redirection. Peace did not come from having all the answers. It came from trusting even when nothing made sense.

As we prepare for the birth of Christ, we are reminded that salvation entered the world not through certainty, but through trust. Not through perfect conditions, but through faithful waiting.

And perhaps this is what Advent asks of us too. To wait. To trust. And to believe that even in the seasons that do not yet make sense, God is already at work.

Prayer:

Lord,

 Teach us how to wait with faith when life feels uncertain. When answers feel delayed and clarity feels far, remind us that You are still working. Help us to trust Your timing, Your plans, and Your heart. Let Your peace slowly grow within us. Amen.

Gift for Jesus:

This Christmas, offer Jesus the gift of patience.

 Choose one situation in your life that you cannot yet control and entrust it fully to God each day. Let your faithful waiting be your birthday gift to Him.

Jay Ar Almanzor, is a photographer, videographer, and Financial Advisor who uses creativity and real life experiences to tell stories of growth, resilience, and intentional living.

Sixth Gift

"The Birth of Jesus Christ"

Gospel                                           Luke 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us."

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

Silent Justice  

by Arnel G. Matias

 

Advent pulls us back into a season of waiting—a time when we sit with the reality that the  world’s a mess, but there’s still hope. This year’s theme, “Justice shall flourish in His time,  and fullness of peace forever” (Psalm 72:7), hits especially close to home for us Filipinos.  Just look around: corruption runs deep, especially in these huge flood-control projects that  are supposed to protect people but seem to benefit the wrong folks. There’s this sharp  political divide that’s splitting families and friends apart. While some of us are just trying to  recover from floods, deal with rising prices, or survive day to day, a handful of leaders live  easy, their wealth looking more suspicious by the day. It’s exhausting. Sometimes, it feels  like faith itself gets tested.  

But then, the Gospel for Advent—Matthew 1:18–24—offers something different. God’s  justice doesn’t always start with big gestures; most of the time, it begins quietly, in ordinary  lives. Take Joseph, for example. He’s a carpenter, not a hero. He finds out Mary’s pregnant,  and you can imagine the confusion, the hurt, maybe even a sense of betrayal. Still, Joseph  doesn’t lash out. He doesn’t look for revenge. He tries to protect Mary from shame, even  before the angel shows up. And when he’s told God’s plan in a dream, Joseph just trusts. He  doesn’t argue, doesn’t hesitate. That simple trust and courage make room for Jesus to be  born—the very justice and peace we long for.  

Joseph’s story hits home for me. The past years, I ran into my own battles with peace and  doing what’s right. Like a lot of people, I got caught up in that political divide that’s tearing  through our country. I ended up cutting off friends, not because they hurt me, but just  because we didn’t see things the same way anymore. At first, I told myself I needed space  for my own sanity. But honestly, the longer it went on, the heavier it felt.  

After a while, realizations crept in. I accepted I was part of the problem, too. I let frustration  drown out patience. I let differences swallow up relationships. Looking back, I wish I’d stood  as steady as Joseph—listened more, reacted less, trusted instead of fearing, chosen unity  over walking away. Joseph didn’t let his feelings control him; he left space for God to speak.  That’s the kind of strength I’m hoping for now.  

The mess we see in our country—corruption, division—it’s daunting. But the Gospel keeps  saying: real justice and peace start small, slow, and almost always with ordinary people  trying to do what’s right. If we want peace to grow here, it needs to start inside us—in our  choices, our words, and the way we patch things up with others. Justice has to take root in  our own hearts before it ever shows up in the world.  

So this Advent, I’m asking for grace to fix what I’ve broken: friendships that faded,  conversations I dodged, bridges I let fall apart because of pride or disappointment. I want the guts to reach out, rebuild, and let compassion matter more than politics. Our country’s  hurting, but healing’s possible if enough of us are willing to follow Joseph’s quiet example.  

Jesus, Emmanuel—God with us—showed up in a world full of injustice and division. His birth  was a sign that God hadn’t checked out on us. Justice will have its day. Peace will last. Advent  reminds us: even when we mess up, even in a country weighed down by corruption and  conflict, God’s still here—asking us to be the ones who carry justice and peace, starting right  where we are.  

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,  

Heal our nation and heal our hearts.  

Grant us the courage of Joseph—to choose peace in a time of division, to choose justice in  a time of corruption, and to choose reconciliation in the relationships we have wounded or  lost.  

Bring healing to our homes, our friendships, and our beloved Philippines.  Amen.  

Gift for Jesus:

Offer Him the gift of reconciliation. 

Reach out to one friend or family member with whom you have grown distant. A message, a  prayer, or a simple “Kamusta ka?” can be your humble offering of peace to Jesus this  Christmas.  

Arnel G. Matias is an IT professional with 30+ years of experience in technology leadership,  infrastructure management, application support, and security services. He is currently the  Lead IT Support for a US Based Recruiting Agency. He also runs a small boutique consulting  firm, iPinas Consulting, with a team of developers delivering digital solutions to local and  international clients. He previously served as a QA facilitator, trainer, and workshop  contributor for Bizmates Philippines, and also has extensive IT operations experience in the  United States. A lifelong learner passionate about service and innovation, Arnel enjoys  photography, reading, and collecting hobby toys.