Christmas is neither a holiday nor just the more things we do for ourselves or other people. It is not about Christmas gifts we present or exchanged. Most folks give only to those who give them and do not care for those who may not afford to give them. Christmas is a time of celebration but it could be a sorrow/difficult time for those whose loved ones have died.
It’s that time of the year again. The last Ember month of the year, December is here with all the Christmas festivities. Many folks have different view and opinion of Christmas. Some people believe that Christmas is all about Christ, especially as the name “Christ” is inserted into the title. Does that carry the whole truth about Christmas? According to Lorelei Nettles, “Christmas is associated with a lot of things that bring people happiness and comfort: getting together with family, big meals, parties, decorating, shopping, gifts and travels.” All these things give people warm and fuzzy feelings, excitement, holidays, parade of lights, musicals and gift exchange. Are these just holding a long time man’s tradition of festivities or do we do them for the sake of Christ? Does God really care if we practice man’s tradition or the tradition He has established? Some love the idea and fascination of Christmas: the gift under the tree, lights in the window, turkey dinner with family members, stockings hanging in the living room and the greetings of ‘merry Christmas’ to those passing by us in the streets. Others simply associate Christmas with holidays, family reunion and assorted food. These events and things aren’t bad at all but are these really what Christmas is all about? It is still believed that many have no real knowledge of what Christmas is actually all about.
What Christmas is not? Denn Guptill stressed that’s why folks have turned a “Holy Day” to simply become a “holiday” and got caught up with all the hype of Christmas without understanding what Christmas is all about. Along with the holidays, we have the opportunity to spend time with family and to be entertained with assorted food. Folks get involved in various season’s projects and activities, all the stuff we do: gifts and cards to be bought, food to be cooked, presents to be wrapped, letter to be written and together with cards mailed; parties to attend, turkeys to be stuffed, and Churches to be decorated and attended. All the hustle and bustle of the season with Hugh commercial racketing resulting to obligations, lots of stress and of course regrets.
Guptill added, Christmas is neither a holiday nor just the more things we do for ourselves or other people. It is not about Christmas gifts we present or exchanged. Most folks give only to those who give them and do not care for those who may not afford to give them. Christmas is a time of celebration but it could be a sorrow/difficult time for those whose loved ones have died. That brings to mind that Christmas isn’t merry for everybody. Little wonder Shane Kelly wrote, “Christmas is a time of happiness, reunions, family time and these celebrations can heighten feelings of loneliness and despair and of course sadness. As folks celebrate Christmas, it could be a reminder of someone who is no longer there either by death, divorce or simply distance. How do you explain Christmas to a baby whose parent got laid off of work and could not afford to put presents under the tree or fetch good stuff for their children? Does it mean there is no Christmas? Christmas is not about despair. Christmas becomes a time to comfort the sorrowful and extend gifts of love to those in need. Isaiah 40:1-2 admonish us to comfort “my people” and speak comfort to Jerusalem……(2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
Others see Christmas as the tree and inflatable nativity scene on their front lawn during this season. These are removed and packed up on January 1st and put away for another year. These people put Christ in Christmas and that’s where he stays, even after Christmas, he is forgotten. It is likened to some who leave Christ on the cross after Easter has come and gone and pumpkin in Halloween so do others leave baby Jesus sleeping quietly in the manger after Christmas is over. Christmas is not a religious celebration, a Day or Event. As long as we see Christmas as December 25th or view it in broader sense as “The Christmas season,” we miss what Christmas is all about.
What then is Christmas? Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and should make a difference in how we live every day not just December 25. “With the birth of Christ, we celebrate changed lives, a changed world and changed eternities.” If Christmas doesn’t change your life, it means you have missed it. God was born in human likeness – the Divine took upon himself the limitation of humanity. 1 John 4:14 says, “We have seen that the Father sent His son to be the Savior of the world and this is what we tell people now.” The heavenly Father and His son, also called the WORD, are both God (John1:1); had planned ‘before the foundation of the world’ that, the son (The word) would one day temporarily give up his glory and power in heaven, be born as a human being and set a perfect example for mankind of how to live a godly life (1 Peter 1: 20; John 1:14; Phil 2:5-11; 1 John 2:4-6).
Jesus Christ revealed God’s amazing plan for enabling mankind to receive eternal life as children in the Kingdom of God (Rom. 8:14-17). Jesus became a God in human flesh, born of a woman, allowed himself to be killed in order to pay for the penalty of sins of all (John 3:16; Rom 5:6-10). Jesus came to give eternal life not a holiday, not what we do not Christmas present and not religious celebration. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the son of God. Jesus Christ into the world to change lives, change our world and change our eternities. By this unique event, God shows His love to mankind; it could be a time of healing and renewed strength.
Why do we celebrate Christmas? According to Got question.org, Christmas is celebrated the world over in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ. Various traditions celebrate it differently. The unifying biblical factor is that in Gal 4:4-5 – “When the right time came, God sent his son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. God did this so that we could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us his children. Again the angel appeared to the shepherd the night Jesus was born and said, “Don’t be afraid, I have some very good news for you –news that will make everyone glad. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). i. Jesus birth is “good news.” We celebrate good news; ii. The good news of Jesus birth causes “great Joy” and will be “for all the people” – the joyful celebration would be universal. People all over the globe would be glad for the event; Iii. “Today our savior is born” He’s the Messiah, the Lord. Jesus is the Savior who delivers us from sin and death (Matt 1:21). He’s the human Messiah (or Christ) who fulfills the law and the prophets (Matt 5:17). And He’s the divine Lord who has entered the world. God and man have been fused together in an indivisible eternal bond: God is surely with us (Matt 1:23).
GQO further illuminates iv. We celebrate the Savior because we needed salvation and deliverance (2 Cor. 1: 20); v. We celebrate the Lord who humbly took on “the very nature of a servant” for our sakes (Phil 2:6-8). We celebrate Christmas with gift-giving because of the “indescribable gift” that God gave to us (2 Cor.9:15). We celebrate Christmas with lights because Jesus the light of the world has come to us (John 1:14; Isaiah 9:2). We celebrate Christmas with carols and Choirs because they represent expression of Joy; following the examples of Mary & Zacharias and Simeon and the angels (Luke 1-2). We celebrate by decorating evergreen trees with stars and angels and tinsel because of the eternal life Jesus brings (John 4:14). We celebrate Christmas as the love and condescension of God. Jesus came to rescue us. He came down to where we were and rescue us. The real meaning of Christmas is then the celebration of this incredible act of love – the story of God coming to us in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. God loved us and provided a way – the only way – for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins, which He paid for in full and we are now free from condemnation when we accept that free gift of love (Rom 5:8). We celebrate Christmas each year out of gratitude for what God did for us. Christmas reminds us of this great gift of God to us and we give each other gifts especially the poor and less privileged. This love is the true meaning of Christmas.
No matter how you may feel about the year and even the month of December, you can still be glad and joyful at Christmas. You come to know that Christ represents God’s love to us, while we were unlovable. This Christmas is an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and the joy and peace you receive will last for eternity. You become a son or a daughter of God; heaven rejoices because of you and make a home for you that last everlasting. The gift of peace isn’t an absence of war; it is an internal peace Jesus spoke about in John 14:22 – “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I don’t give to you as the world give, Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The gift of peace does not come from believing in a baby Jesus born in manger, but from believing and following the man Jesus became and not just head knowledge but a heart knowledge. God has made it possible for you to know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ and experience peace and an amazing change in your life. You can make that DECISION now.
I wish you all MERRY CHRISTMAS.