How Christmas Inspires Hope & Love in Ordinary Lives - Christmas Message for RAPID Scholars

My dear RAPID scholars,

At Christmas, we celebrate a story that changed the world, not with power or wealth, but with hope and love. Jesus was born in a humble manger to remind us that God often starts His greatest work in unexpected places, with ordinary people…just like us.

Christmas invites us to open our hearts and lives to what God is trying to do in us and through us. When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn. Doors were closed. But the shepherds, simple people, heard the Good News, went to see Jesus, and then joyfully shared what they witnessed.

So, the question for each one of us this Christmas is: Do we want to be like the innkeeper, so busy and distracted that we have no room for God? Or will we be like the shepherds, willing to listen, to notice what God is doing, and to take part in God’s story?

God is still active in our world. God is still writing the Christmas story—this time through YOU. As RAPID scholarship recipients, you are chosen for a purpose. Your education, your talents, and your dreams can become instruments of God’s hope and transformation for your family, for your church and for your country.

But to be part of this story, we must make room: Room for compassion, when competition pushes us toward selfishness. Room for courage, when challenges seem too big. Room for service, when the world tells us to only care for ourselves.

Room for justice where there is inequality. Room for God, in all our plans and priorities.

So, the real celebration of Christmas is not about what is under the tree, what clothes we wear, or how beautifully we decorate. The true test of Christmas is: How much did we open our hearts to let God’s love in—and how well did we share that love with others?

May this Christmas inspire you to shine as light in your families, your colleges, and in your communities. May God’s peace guide you. May God’s hope strengthen you. And may God’s joy fill your hearts.

Merry Christmas! God bless you all. Amen.

The Revd. Dr. Khushnud Azariah

CEO - Rapid Charity