In the Gospel of Matthew, we read about Christ’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, an event we commemorate on Palm Sunday:
“And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken and asked, ‘Who is this?’” (Matthew 21:10)
The whole city was shaken. Some translations describe it as being in "turmoil." It’s a striking image—an entire city stirred to its core by Christ’s arrival. At the start of this critical, world-changing week, such upheaval seems fitting.
But here we are now, not in Holy Week, but Christmas—a very different moment in the liturgical year. Instead of an earth-shaking entry into a great city, we turn our hearts to Christ’s quiet arrival in Bethlehem. There, the whole city wasn’t shaken. Most of the world didn’t notice. Yet this moment—God Himself entering creation—changed everything.
The incarnation is monumental; even the grandest words struggle to capture its meaning. It invites us to ask, once again:
“Who is this?”
This is the Christ, the Son of the living God. God Himself, incarnate. He came humbly into our world, to shake not cities but hearts, to bring salvation and new life.
Merry Christmas.