One of the most powerful lines ever sung at Christmas comes from the carol “O Holy Night:”

“Till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”

I was singing “O Holy Night” in the shower on Christmas Eve morning, getting ready for a day out and about, last-minute shopping and errands, brunch with our youngest daughter. “O Holy Night” is one of my top ten favorite Christmas songs of all times. (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer makes the list too…please don’t judge.)

As I sang, the significance of this one line really struck me, and I’d never stopped to think deeply about it. But it sums up Jesus’ life in one line. My family knows I love a good one-liner.

“Till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth”

This lyric captures the heart of Christmas better than any date on a calendar ever could.

We Christians have long debated the exact day Jesus was born. Scripture doesn’t give us a timestamp, and history leaves room for faithful disagreement. But Christmas has never been about a precise date—it’s about proclamation. What we celebrate is not when He was born, but that HE WAS BORN, and what His coming meant—and still means—for the world.

“Till He appeared…”

Before His birth in Bethlehem, B.C. humanity strained under the weight of sin, fear, and striving—searching for meaning, value, and hope. In many ways, that struggle feels even more heavy today. People are exhausted, isolated, anxious, and unsure of their worth. We chase validation through achievement, affirmation, politics, possessions, and performance—yet still can feel empty.

Then came the day God stepped into time. Not as a distant ruler, but as a child. Emmanuel—God with us.

“And the soul felt its worth.”

The birth of Christ declared something radical and desperately needed in every generation: confirmation that every human life has immeasurable value. Not because of productivity, office held, success, or social standing—but because God chose to dwell among us and ultimately give Himself for us. In Christ, the soul finally understands what it is worth: loved enough to be pursued, redeemed, and restored.

That is why Christmas still matters.

We aren’t celebrating a historical footnote or trying to win an argument about dates. We are celebrating the moment heaven touched earth—and the truth that, in a world still aching for meaning and hope, our worth was never something to be earned.

It was revealed.
When He appeared.

May the love of Jesus appear to you this Christmas season and every day in small, insignificant ways you don’t expect – and may your heart and soul begin to look for and see these things as you recognize your incredible worth to God and everyone around you. You are worthy and loved because you are you.