A month from now, the halls will be decked with boughs of holly, and we’ll be singing ‘Joyful, all ye nations rise’ as we celebrate Christmas Day. For many, it’s an opportunity to press pause on our work and focus on the wonder of the incarnation. For others, Christmas Day has a very different feel because it’s a working day, whether that be in a hospital, a church, a fire station, or elsewhere – for which we all thank you! 

At Christmas we remember that Jesus came down to earth, entering the everyday mess and sin of life. We read in John’s Gospel that Jesus ‘became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ and that he ‘came from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). As his followers, we’re called to join in with that down-to-earth mission in our daily lives: to be full of grace and truth like him, making the bit of earth God’s put us in more like heaven in the power of the Spirit.

But what does that mean for me and you in our jobs? How can we make a difference at work and join in Christ’s redeeming work? 

To be full of grace means to show the same unconditional love that Jesus showed us to colleagues around us. Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration for many, but it’s also a time of acute loneliness and pain for others, battling with grief, tricky family dynamics, or financial difficulties. Slow down this Christmas and be attentive to your colleagues. What are their joys and struggles? Could you be a listening ear to those who are without hope this Christmas? What would it look like to show unconditional love to the people you work with? Consider inviting a colleague to join you at home on Christmas Day. Or take someone for a drink and listen to their challenges, offering to pray for them. Or buy a voucher to bless those in financial difficulty. This is undeserved love in action.  

To be full of truth means to be like the one who is ‘the way and the truth and the life’ (John 14:6). It means that we’re to stand up for the truth of the gospel and have courage as we live our lives differently, as whole-life disciples. This Christmas, it might look like being courageous and authentically sharing the reason you’re celebrating in this season with someone in your team, or perhaps even praying for a colleague who’s going through a difficult time. To be full of truth doesn’t just mean speaking the truth but also living in ways that reflect the truth of our faith – being honest, honouring others, encouraging others, being generous and quick to forgive. It’s about living in ways that moulds the culture at work, revealing the truth of Jesus.  

As Jesus pours out his heart in prayer, he reminds us that we are sent out into the world, but that we are not of the world (John 17:14–18). To be full of grace and truth means that we’re to fully engage in the lives of those around us, as Jesus did. But we also need to remember that we are not of this world. We are called to a different path. A way of holiness and being set apart, of modelling a different way of living and working, that points to Immanuel, God with us.  

Revd David Walker
Work Champion