Christmas

As I ready my house for Christmas, and wonder with each step I take why I am bothering, I think of what it must be like to not have a complete understanding of the holiday. You see, it is very commercialized, if you hadn't noticed. There are many who ramp up the excitement for the holiday and push down profusely the true meaning of what we are celebrating. Why? What causes us to be so over the top excited about a day and so under the bottom when it comes to the true meaning?

So, I do get caught up in the excitement of the season, but I really must not let this one pass without saying something about the reason we celebrate. Christmas is an exciting time, but you see, it is not my absolute favorite holiday. That spot is reserved for the real meaning on Christmas, which comes on Easter.

It all started in a garden. In Genesis 3, Satan-the Deceiver-had a plan. His goal was to make sure that years and years later, people would be caught up in his plan so much, they would miss the true message. He has done a good job of fooling many, but he does not have the final word. God's plan was better, but it came with a price. God gave laws to man, Moses received the Ten Commandments and then we read about many laws given to the Jews regarding just about everything you can imagine. We tend to speed read through this part of the Bible because quite honestly, it is overwhelming, boring, and really doesn't apply to what we do now. But why did God give so many laws? Because he knew that we would never be able to keep them all. We need a sacrifice to remove the sin or the breaking of the rules. That sacrifice came in the Old Testament in the form of animals. Sheep, lambs, goats, birds. It got quite bloody and gross and I cannot imagine the smell of the blood that covered the altar. Not so pleasant a thought.

But then, in the fullness of time, as in, when God knew it was right, he sent a baby. Not just any baby, one born of a virgin. One whose birth was prophesied of hundreds of years earlier. God not only caused the miracle of the birth, but he actually used ungodly people to fulfill this prophecy. The prophet said the baby would be born in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph didn't even live there. However, God used Caesar Augustus, a egomaniac who thought himself so important that he needed to count how many people he was ruling over. Otherwise, Mary and Joseph would have had no reason to leave Nazareth to go to Judea, to the city of Bethlehem. They were demanded to go there because Joseph's ancestry was connected to David. Since David was from Bethlehem, that is where they had to go to register. Apparently, it isn't like today where you could just fill out a paper saying where your lineage was from and send it in. They were required to go to that place. So, years prior, God put that thought into  the prophet Micah to say, " But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah...from you One will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel." (Micah 5:2)

So, yes, he came and fulfilled many of the prophecies. But, the greatest of all was the fact that he took the sin of the world, yours, mine, everyones. He became that sacrificial lamb. He went to the cross having never sinned. He asked if there was another way, but he knew the plan and he knew there was not another way for mankind to experience redemption. He died a horrific death and was fully and completely dead. Three days later, he rose and was fully alive. He appeared to more than 500 people. Some who didn't believe until they touched his hands and saw the scars that were there. He later was taken up in a cloud and is seated in Heaven, preparing a place for those who have accepted his gift of salvation.

So, that is the reason Christmas excitement is understandable, but without Easter, it would mean nothing. As you decorate and rush and buy gifts and do good things for others, please don't forget the true reason for why Jesus came. If you haven't ever asked him to forgive your sin and come and reside in your heart, make this Christmas the one that changes everything. A simple prayer, one that says you know you miss the mark, you cannot keep the Law, you need a savior, is all it takes to have a new life. I hope that you will experience this now, you will never regret that choice.