It’s that time of year! The most wonderful time of year as some would say. Some call it magical, others put on the jacket of doing good deeds. What makes “Christmas,” Christmas to you? While it is true this time of year brings out goodwill in many that seem to shirk it all year long. Merchants think about it all year long as to how they can sell the most, while people are in this festive mood. Many go into debt and take the rest of the year to pay off what they could not afford, and then the cycle starts over again about November. Some are not as eager about Christmas, because it reminds them of their failures in relationships, finances, and personal goals. However, this still does not change what Christmas is all about. Would it still be Christmas to you if the mentioned situations were all you have at Christmas?
We live in a world that is delusional. The word Christmas begins with the word “Christ.” Yet, those who don’t believe want to celebrate and use it as a nostalgic time to be with friends and family. To look back at their old traditions with a warm heart. I too get very nostalgic during this time, but my greatest memories surround things done at Christmas that reflect the goodness of my Lord and Savior. Would it still be Christmas if the Christ child never came?
God in His foreknowledge knew man would sin and deny God his rightful place in their lives. Nothing has ever surprised God. Jesus, the Christ, was and is God the Son. He was with God from the beginning. He was God the creator. God’s plan from before man was to offer His Son as redemption for all mankind. His holiness would not allow sin into Heaven, but His love would pay the sacrifice so that mankind could have a way to spend eternity with God. Jesus stepped out of Heaven in the form of a baby to become the sacrifice for us. A man had committed the sin, and a man had to pay the price. The God-man Jesus.
John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”
The very first reference to Christ coming as the Redeemer and Messiah is in Genesis 3:15. This was just after the fall of mankind. Here we are told he would be born of a woman, and Satan will be defeated. We know the ultimate fulfillment was the cross. The “bruising of the heel,” is repeated in Romans 16:20 and is the fulfillment of that. Galatians 4:4 fulfills that he was born of a woman.
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Galatians 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
God did not leave any details out. He even told us the place of His birth. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
This Christ child would give us the name of the holiday celebrated around the world. The word is a combination of the word Christ and mas. The correct phrase should be “birthday of Christ’ from the Latin “Christi natalem, or navidad in Spanish. The simple meaning is that mass means celebration. The word Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ.
Many will celebrate Christmas and determine their own spin on it. They refuse to see it for who it represents and how and why it came to be. Some say happy holidays, but the origin of the holiday was a day set aside to be holy. A day to refrain from work to celebrate special religious observances.
There will be millions that will celebrate Christmas and even pray and thank God for their blessings, but they do not have a personal relationship with Christ. We have dumbed down the meaning and purpose of Christmas and to the majority, it’s just like their view of how to get to Heaven. It’s whatever they want it to be.
Truth has not changed and never will because it is based on the one who is Truth, Jesus Christ. You can have fun, and talk about what Christmas means to you, but the only way to truly have Christmas is to have Christ at the center. If the Christ child never came there would be no Christmas.
Stop today and think about this season we are approaching. If you profess to be a Christian keep Christ, as the focus. Make sure those around you understand the real meaning of the season. If you want to know what your view of Christmas portrays, ask a child you influence what it’s all about. You’ll find quickly what image you are putting out there. Do they think it’s all about some old man in a red suit that rewards them for being good? Has Christmas become a game with the kids that don’t have anything to do with Christ? May I suggest that you teach your children that their gifts came from you as a celebration of Jesus’ birth, the greatest gift of all. They need to have someone to be grateful to. They need to see the big picture and learn to celebrate the wonder of the Son of God becoming a baby. Read the Christmas story to them on a level they can understand and make it come alive. Not once as a token, but every night until it becomes their favorite. Buy them a plastic nativity set where they can imagine the story as you tell it. Let them act out the story with their plastic set. Kids learn so much from doing not just watching a video. Start incorporating all these opportunities into their little lives. Childlike faith will have no problem believing that Christmas is all about Jesus if you handle it with the right words and actions. You can teach all day long as you put up the decorations and place the colors of Christmas around the house. Make cookies and take them to a neighbor and let the kids help. Let them understand you are sharing the Christ of Christmas with others. You will be teaching them lessons that will build and help them for a lifetime of a meaningful relationship with Jesus. They will be far ahead of the game of life if your foundation is secure with Christ at the center of it all. Will this take effort? Absolutely, but the reward far outweighs the effort you put in.
Maybe it’s time to evaluate your own view of Christmas and think about how what you are doing relates to your relationship with Him.
I am a Christmas fan, big time! I love to decorate, bake, share, sit, and think about each element of Christmas and how it relates back to the one who made Christmas possible. I love to give and make others feel loved. That’s what Jesus did for me. He gave himself to come as a babe and live a perfectly sinless life in a sinful world. He loves me and He demonstrated that love when He was willing to come to earth to make a way for me to be made right with the Father. While we should celebrate Christmas all year long, don’t pass up the special opportunity God is placing in your lap today to touch others’ hearts during this tender time. You just may find yourself sharing the true meaning of Christmas with someone who has never heard.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Would it still be Christmas without Christ? No, just another day to be selfish and indulge in food, festivities, and gifts.
