I am writing today’s devotional on 12/23/25, Christmas Eve Eve. Something was in the news yesterday that by now, 1/13/26, will be old news and we will know how the story developed. But it’s worth talking about and revisiting.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the governor of the state of Arkansas. On December 16, 2025, she issued a proclamation. Here it is in its entirety:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME – GREETINGS:
WHEREAS: More than two millennia ago in the little town of Bethlehem, far from the centers of power in first-century Rome, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in a humble manger;
WHEREAS: Jesus was the Messiah and became a teacher and leader, and He would be crucified, suffer for the sins of all mankind, die and be buried, and rise again on the third day to sit at the right hand of the Father;
WHEREAS: But on that first Christmas, Christ’s arrival was unassuming, witnessed only by Mary and Joseph, humble shepherds guided by angels, and three wise men from the East. It presaged his ministry, which was not focused on the wealthy or powerful but rather on the poor, powerless, and meek; and
WHEREAS: We give thanks for the arrival of Christ the Savior, who will come again in glory and whose kingdom will have no end, by celebrating His birth each year on Christmas Day.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, do hereby proclaim December 25, 2025, as
“CHRISTMAS DAY”
in the State of Arkansas, and in order that state employees may spend this holiday with their families giving thanks for Christ’s birth, I further declare the State Capitol and state offices will be closed on Friday, December 26, 2025, as well.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 16th day of December, in the year of our Lord 2025.1
Though she got it wrong with the standard narrative which puts “three” wise men at the Nativity, the rest of her declaration was powerful and spot on, especially her presentation of the Gospel. This is typically unheard of from government officials. And, who could complain about an extra day off?
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, that’s who.
Gov. Sanders received a letter from them, claiming that her proclamation was unconstitutional and that she needed to reverse her decision to close the government offices on the 26th. Her response to them couldn’t have been worded better. In part, she wrote:
“You say that my communications as Governor must be neutral on matters of religion. I say that, even if I wanted to do that, it would be impossible. Christmas is not simply an ‘end-of-the-year holiday’ with ‘broadly observed secular cultural aspects,’ as your letter states. It’s not gifts, trees, and stockings that make this holiday special. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and if we are to honor Him properly, we should tell His miraculous, world-changing story properly, too.”
“Sanders went on to call it ironic that she received the letter “claiming I was alienating my non-Christian constituents as I was leaving a Menorah lighting celebration with people from all across Arkansas…”
“Sanders ended the letter by telling FFRF that they “missed the point” of her Christmas proclamation, explaining that it was “not to browbeat readers with Christian doctrine” but “rather to point to the humility of Christ’s birth and to the amazing fact that the King of Kings was born not in a palace or temple, but in a humble manger attended only by poor shepherds.”2
Let’s give that governor a round of applause and a standing ovation! She deserves it!
Our faith is going to be ridiculed and minimized. Our stands for Jesus will be challenged every step of the way. Take a lesson from this governor and respond boldly yet graciously.
1 Peter 3:14-16 says, “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (16) Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”
1https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/sanders-closes-state-offices-on-friday-december-26-in-celebration-of-christmas/
2https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gov-sanders-rejects-demand-from-legal-group-to-undo-christmas-closure-i-will-do-no-such-thing/ar-AA1SQpwq?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=6949cfcb510749849b50930ac934ec73&ei=19
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