12/24/2023
CHRISTMAS. We all know what it is. It’s a time of magic! The winter air feels crisp and the lights twinkle. Our minds dance with visions of warmth and family, delicious feasts, indulgent treats, togetherness, and, of course, PRESENTS!
But… Why?
Have you ever stopped to think WHY we celebrate? Why do we bother with all of the decorations and food and merriment? I can answer that question, but we have to go back to the beginning…
The real beginning. Not the baby in the manger, but way, WAY earlier. Genesis tells us that God created a perfect world, with humans as His crowning glory. Of all that He created and cares for, God creates US for a relationship with Him. We were designed to be in the presence of a most Holy God, in perfect community.
But we wrecked it. I mean, we really trashed the whole scene. We rushed to the one thing that was withheld from us in the whole world and said, “I MUST HAVE IT!” And that was it. The community was broken. A perfect God cannot be in a perfect relationship with insolent, rebellious, sinful man. But God was not content to abandon us. We are the crown of His creation, truly loved and valued. One does not just walk away from such a treasure… so, He got to work.
Obviously, we had to be dealt with. Discipline was handed down from the Father, as true justice requires, but in our lowly, broken, and shameful state… a light. A promise.
Genesis 3:15 - right after sin entered the world- is the first prophecy of Jesus. God tells Satan that the child of the woman will be the one to defeat him, and all sin and death with him. God wasn’t letting us go. From that moment, He enacted a perfect plan to get us back and set things right. He was on a rescue mission.
Now, we fast forward many, many long years. The Bible moves us through the history and timeline of Israel as a great nation, a people of God. They are troubled, sinful, and struggling. They experience successes and failures both great and small, and through it all… a promise, repeated time and again, often while Israel is at its lowest. A rescuer is on His way.
And so He came, defying all expectations, as a baby in a humble manger, in the little town of Bethlehem, to a young woman who made herself the servant of the Most High God. He came to experience our lives, to understand our struggles, to be with us, and to SAVE us.
CHRISTMAS. An observance of Christ, the Messiah, who gave completely of Himself unto DEATH because He wants a relationship with YOU.
You don’t have to believe me. I know many do not. But the thing about truth is that it exists, and it exists whether or not you chose to believe it. You can choose not to believe in gravity, but that doesn’t keep it from affecting every moment of your life. It’s unescapable.
The God of the universe is unescapable. The Bible shows us time and again; His word is true and His promises hold. What He tells us is this: if you want to come back into perfect relationship and live the life and eternity that was designed for you, you’re going to need ME. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The LIFE. He is God who came to us to give us a way back, a Savior.
Think about the WHY this Christmas. Do you know the baby in the manger? Do you understand why this matters to your life? And if not, are you willing to stake your eternity on the gamble that what I’m saying is false? Because that’s what I’m talking about here - ETERNITY.
You are IMMORTAL. And you have a choice to make: spend forever in the peace and promises of God, or reject Him and spend the rest of eternity trying to pay for your OWN mistakes, transgressions, and rebellions. God loves you and offers an escape through reconciliation. You have to be willing to give up your own will and accept His.
My prayer for each of you this Christmas is that you come to know the WHY. The reason why we celebrate in this delightfully excessive fashion is because GOD HIMSELF came to live among us on the ultimate rescue mission. And He loves YOU.
