For many, Christmas centers around the act of decorating, putting up the Christmas tree, shopping, using cookies and milk to keep Santa in line, eating wonderful food, enjoying family, watching a Christmas play or two, and so on and on forth. But holidays are some are actually filled with stress, isolation and depression.
Either of these ditches that we might easily find ourselves in actually shifts the powerful epicenter of the Biblical Christmas story off to the side. Yes, we might muster a religious nod to Jesus as we sing some Christmas carols and set up the Nativity with all the “regulars” (and if you have kids, sometimes a baby doll or action figure might “magically” appear next to the wise men or shepherds) thus, the meaning of Christmas — real Christmas — is often short-circuited.
But “Christmas” isn’t what the Bible called it. It wasn’t a holiday and it likely didn’t even happen on a “cold winter’s night” or on December 25. But these things don’t really matter. They shouldn’t be a stumbling block for block for you. Why?
Because Jesus’ life — from the events in the story that we call Christmas to His death, burial and resurrection —is what God intended to be the very pivot point of eternity. It’s the fulfillment of His promised plan to redeem mankind. We waited for thousands of years to find out how He was going to do that. Then on a crowded night in Bethlehem, God suddenly opened the door so everyone could finally see His plan clearly. He was sending a Savior for the world and He was using a surprising array of people to make it happen.
We sometimes forget that every player in the story was actually real. He or she had emotion, had imperfections, doubts and worries. None of them could see the “big picture” as we now see it. They just played their part. Each of them completely lived within the story of Immanuel — “God with us.”
God chose specific people for a specific part to play laying the groundwork for everything to come. From the dark, dark world Jesus was born into to the very Presence of God the Magi must have experienced.
Don’t let it escape your notice that you, too, are a part of the story right here and right now. Jesus, which means “Jehovah Saves” is still Immanuel, “God with us.” He is with you to deliver you!
May this story of Christmas be etched in your heart!