Christmas is my favorite time of year. Some of the things that make Christmas special are family time, lights, decorations, Christmas hymns, colors of Christmas, Christmas music, soft pretzels when out and about, and Christmas movies.
Some people say Christmas is only about commercialism and is a pagan holiday that has hijacked the birth of Christ. Maybe, but Christmas is what we make it. The reality is that the majority of the symbols which have come to represent Christmas are full of meaning about Christ. I believe Christmas is the most important time on the Christian calendar because it represents the long-awaited Christ finally coming. Many angels celebrated the birth of Christ, and heaven was full of joy over the incarnation of Christ. This is not to say Easter is not important, for without Easter there is no salvation. Without Christmas, there is no Easter. We have Easter every Sunday and every time we have communion. Communion is a reminder that Easter is about suffering. Christmas is a season of joy and a needed reminder that God came in human form and fulfilled Old Testament promises. Christmas reminds us that God kept His promise and that Christ came to earth to overcome sin and evil.
I am currently studying the gospel of John and preparing a blog series. Chapter 17 is especially meaningful to me, and I considered how Christ’s prayer would have represented a sweet time of fellowship for the disciples. As I studied more deeply in chapter 17, I found myself having a sweet time of fellowship with the Lord.
Yesterday, I was up earlier than usual and out for my morning exercise routine before sunrise. Christmas lights were on all around me, and my heart was full of joy from the Lord. The lights and decorations struck me as a reminder of Emmanuel, God with us. The lights and decorations remind us that Christ came to us in human form, lived an example for us, and suffered like we suffer. The long-awaited prophecy had been fulfilled, and those waiting in darkness had seen a great light.
There was great joy when Christ came because the long-awaited Messiah was walking in their midst. Belief came easy for them because they had God in the flesh, and Christ was displaying His power as a means of grace to enable belief. Christ acknowledged that those who believe on Him in later generations, such as you and me, would not have the same experience. We believe on Christ, not because we experienced the first Christmas, but because someone cared enough to share the gospel, or maybe you grew up in the church. Either way, we believed because the Holy Spirit was drawing us to Christ and worked through people around us.
The reminders of Christmas reinforce our belief in Christ and renew our courage to face a new year. Whether the new year will bring joy or trials, we have Emmanuel, and Christmas reminds us of that.
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