The Basics of Christmas

You can’t help but see it, hear it, and know it. Christmas is coming.  Stores and streets are decorated.  Holiday music fills the airways. And just try to watch ten minutes of television without seeing a commercial that reminds you that you simply cannot live without this particular product. It will change your life!

            Christmas is a joyous time, and yet it can also be one of the hardest seasons of the year.  If you have lost a special someone this year, and this is your first Christmas without that person it can be very difficult.  And if you are going through some kind of economic hardship it can be a challenge.

            I would simply remind you of this.  You may need to get back to the basics of what Christmas truly is about.  I recognize that it is not always easy. But the reason for the season remains the same.  God entered our world, took on flesh, and became one of us.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, and then, “He set His face toward Jerusalem.”

            The truth is very simple. Jesus was born for one reason. He came to die in our place.  Everything else was prologue.  Not everyone wants to hear that.  After all, we all love a little baby.  The manger scene and angels singing to shepherds are wonderful sights to see. We sympathize with the plight of Mary and Joseph.  Let’s not talk about death during Christmas.

            But God knew that we needed a Savior.  That’s all of us. And so, Jesus came that we might have life.  There are times when Christmas is, the most stressful time of the year.  Let’s be careful to remember the meaning of the season. God became flesh and dwelt among us. He came that we might have life. Thanks be to God for this amazing gift!