This Christmas season feels different. The lights still sparkle, the carols still play and families still gather around tables to celebrate—but the world around us has grown darker, more perilous and more divided than at any time in living memory. Wars rage, economies tremble, morality decays and the voices of outrage seem louder than the whispers of peace. And yet, through all of it, the message of Christmas has never been more urgent or more alive: The Light has come, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Let’s be honest—our world is in crisis. From the Middle East to our own city streets, from classrooms to Congress, the pressure on the human spirit feels relentless. Evil no longer hides in shadows; it flaunts itself in headlines, entertainment and legislation. Confusion is marketed as enlightenment, and faith is mocked as foolishness.
Many believers tell me they feel as though they’re living through the pages of prophetic history—that the last days aren’t approaching; they’re already here. They look at global instability, at Israel’s unending battles against terrorism, at America’s moral freefall and they ask: Where is the hope?
The answer is exactly where it’s always been—wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus.
When the angel announced to shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” that wasn’t just a sentimental holiday line. It was a declaration of war against despair. The world into which Jesus was born wasn’t peaceful or pure—it was dominated by corruption, violence and oppression. Yet in that darkness, God sent His Son, not as a conqueror but as a Savior.
Two thousand years later, that same light still pierces every shadow. The miracle of Christmas isn’t nostalgia—it’s transformation. It’s the reminder that no government, no culture and no chaos can extinguish what God has ignited. When Christ came, He broke the curse of sin and offered eternal life. That’s not a seasonal message; it’s the foundation of our entire faith.
This past August, we celebrated Charisma magazine’s 50th anniversary. It was humbling to look back at how far we’ve come since 1975—when I started Charisma as a small church publication in Orlando with nothing more than a borrowed desk, a big vision and a passion to report what the Holy Spirit was doing in our time.
Half a century later, that same Spirit continues to move around the world in ways both dramatic and quiet. We’ve witnessed revivals, prophetic awakenings, the rise of Spirit-filled ministries and countless lives transformed by the power of God. We’ve also seen persecution, apostasy and cultural battles intensify. Yet through every decade, Charisma has sought to be a witness—to shine light where others only see darkness, to tell the stories of God’s faithfulness amid every storm.
Now, as we begin the second half of Charisma’s first century, I sense God saying the best is yet to come. The mission remains unchanged: to spread the message of Spirit-empowered living, to stand for biblical truth and to call the church back to holiness and hope. If anything, our voice is needed more than ever.
As we look toward 2026, I don’t deny that the challenges are immense. Our culture is fractured. Political polarization has reached dangerous levels. Many young people have never even heard the true Gospel, and digital noise drowns out the still, small voice of God.
But I’m not discouraged. The darker the night, the brighter the light shines. Revival fires are kindling across the globe—from college campuses in America to underground churches in China. The Holy Spirit is awakening hearts, breaking addictions, healing marriages and restoring faith in places the media never mentions.
God is not finished with His people—or with this nation. I believe we will see a renewed hunger for truth in the coming year, as people discover that the world’s promises are empty and only Christ satisfies. Yes, 2025 brought hardship, division and uncertainty. But it also brought glimpses of awakening. And in 2026, I believe those embers of revival will spread.
Every December, we hear the refrain: Keep Christ in Christmas. But keeping Christ at the center means making Jesus central to everything—our families, our work, our politics, our worship and our hearts. It means allowing His light to expose and heal the darkness within us before we criticize the darkness around us.
This Christmas, as you gather with family, remember: the miracle we celebrate is not just that Jesus was born in Bethlehem—it’s that He was born in us. The same Spirit that overshadowed Mary now dwells in every believer. That is the power that changes the world one surrendered heart at a time. The light has come. And it still shines.
Stephen Strang has seen major changes in the church, the culture and technology since he founded Charisma magazine in 1975. In addition to being CEO of Charisma Media, he hosts a Strang Report podcast live on YouTube and Rumble at 4 p.m. EST every Tuesday and Thursday. His important recent book Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-World is available wherever fine Christian books are sold d including online at amazon.com.
