"'Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, 'God is with us.'" Matthew 1:23
It's officially the most wonderful time of the year. Red and green lights twinkle in rows along every street; Christmas carols play on every radio; stores fill with stampedes of people every weekend as the calendar ticks down to the 25th.
December is busy. College students struggle to finish end-of-the-semester projects while studying for finals. People race to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Stores stock their shelves just to have them emptied again by eager hands.
Each year, Christmas seems to revolve more and more around things. We make lists of all the things we want and wait in anticipation for the day that we receive all of these seemingly "important" things.
But there is only one important thing to focus on during the holiday season. It's even showcased in the title of the holiday — Christmas. A word that means "the mass or festival of Christ." Let us not spend another holiday season forgetting that Christmas is, literally, a celebration of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is not about the gifts. It's not about the tree or the lights or the decorations or the time off from school and work. Christmas is about one single man who came into the world to save the very ones who rejected him. Christmas is about light.
In the Bible, John 1:9 says: "The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world." So hang your string of lights and let them be a reflection of the man whose presence alone was able to light up the darkness. Hang up those twinkling shimmers of hope and remember that they are also a reflection of you: "You are a light of the world -- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14).
Christmas is a celebration of second chances. Hebrews 7:25 says, "[Jesus] is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf." Through Jesus, we are offered salvation; a second chance at life.
This holiday is a celebration of love. John 1:14 says, "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." God became human flesh and entered the world so that we may have find new life through Him. His love is so powerful that He endured a life full of ridicule and a death full of excruciating pain so that we may live.
Matthew 27:40-52 shows the apparent end to this light, love, and life. These verses say, "Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened."
From birth to death, Jesus was a man of love, selflessness, and forgiveness. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of this man who died to save a population of helpless sinners. So, this Christmas season, remember why you are celebrating in the first place. You are celebrating love. You are celebrating light. You are celebrating a Savior who gave you a second chance at life.
Remember Jesus this Christmas.
