The more the time passes, the more I see what Christmas really means and this got me thinking: not everyone knows what Christmas is really about.
Christmas is the second highest grossing holiday in America (Halloween being number one) and I believe there is more than one reason for this. One of the reasons is a misunderstanding of Christmas. Big meals, presents, Santa, elves, snow, Christmas carols, bells, sleighs, green and red, Christmas trees, lights, family gatherings, and more. Most people focus more on these things than what is really important.
I work in EMS and it seems like after the holidays, we get an outburst of depressed patients and suicides. Why is that? Most of the reasons involve a feeling of loneliness or sense that they don't belong. And I think the reason is because they do not understand what Christmas means. If it's all about getting together with family, then being alone is devastating.
There's a popular slogan amoung Christians for Christmas: "Jesus is the reason for the season". It's a nice little slogan that many Christians use innocently to try to keep Christ in Christmas (which is getting harder these days). But that is not the whole truth and is only half the story.
I want to call you to think through the Christmas story a bit. I'm sure all Christians can agree that Christmas is about the celebration of Christ's birth. But I want you think about why Christ came to earth. Too often we celebrate the baby Jesus in a manger with the Christmas story and stop there. But why did He come and why was His birth so glorious?
Romans is a great book that spells out what it means to be a Christian and what it is to be saved. Chapter 5 give the reason why Christ came. Verse 12 says "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned". John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." When we look at these two verses, amoung many others, we see the real reason Christ came down. Christ came because we are sinners. If we were not sinners and did not sin, would Christ have come as He did, to die? Would we even have Christmas?
As I thought long about this post, my answer to "what is the reason for the season?" I would have answered that WE are. We are the reason Christ came, because of who we are as sinners. But I also believe that it goes deeper than that. Yes, we are the ones that Jesus came here to die for, but He did not have to come. The moment Adam sinned in the garden, God could have wiped humanity from existence and start over. The reason why we are still here, why Jesus came to die for us, and why we have Christmas is because of God's love. Think about that for a minute!
From the minute Adam sinned, God prophesied that Jesus would be born to die, thousands of years before it happened. And what I find amazing is that Jesus voluntarily left a perfect Heaven, born into a sin filled world, just to die for us so we can spend eternity with Him. Is that not love? John 3:16 tells us that God sent his Son. But Jesus also voluntarily came. John 6:38 is the account of Jesus saying "for I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him who sent me". And in the account of when Jesus was in the garden, preparing to be arrested, he asked to not have to go through with the crucifixion. Jesus was a servant that loved us enough to stoop down lower than the common man and die for us. That is really what Christmas is about: Gods love.
This is why it bothers me to see all these people who are so wrapped up in having to see family, getting the meal fixed in time, getting the "right" gift, and obsessing over Christmas decorations. Our country has changed Christmas into a winter holiday revolving around gifts and "holiday" trees. I think this is why it's harder for people to reflect on the real reason for Christmas. I have come to the point where I don't like Christmas decorations or celebration norms. Instead of following tradition of celebrating the modern version of Christmas, I take time reflect and remember Gods love and forgiveness. When that is your focus instead of what everyone else focuses on, your Christmas will be much more meaningful.
But if you haven't experienced the forgiveness of God, you have not experienced what Christmas really is. Christmas becomes an empty holiday that revolves around greediness and holiday tradition, followed by depression because you know there must be more. If you haven't accepted Gods forgiveness, his Son and love, I encourage you to accept Gods gift, the greatest Christmas gift you will ever receive.
