Deutero Q

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
John 1:14

For many of us, Christmas is one of the highlights--perhaps the highlight--of the year. It is a time to spend with loved ones in warm homes, enjoying good food and exchanging gifts. There is nothing wrong with all of this, of course. Most of us will spend Christmas in this way. But if this is all Christmas means to us, then we have missed the true meaning of the season.

What is Christmas really all about? The true meaning of the season is this: God became man. What an amazing truth! Two thousand years ago the Lord entered human history, becoming incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. The Creator became a creature! Why did God do such an astounding thing? First Timothy 1:15 provides an answer: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

The Lord came to us primarily as our Savior. That is because we human beings are, by nature, spiritually “…dead in [our] transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). But in His great love and mercy, the Lord has done something about our sinful human condition. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

What incredible news! This is not the stuff of a fairy tale. This is not mere myth or legend. This is historical fact: God became man to rescue spiritually dead people. Have you seen yourself as the sinner the Bible says you are? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ and His atoning death upon the cross to save you from your sins?

Please do not let Christmas go by without remembering the real significance of the season. Look beyond the Christmas tree, the lights, the tamales and all of the holiday trappings. These things have their place, but let us see Christmas for what it really is: God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ, living a sinless life and then dying upon a cross and rising from the dead … so that sinful people could be forgiven and experience abundant and eternal life.

May this Christmas season find us responding like those shepherds of old. After seeing Jesus, they returned home and glorified and praised God for all the things they heard and saw, which were just as they had been foretold (Luke 2:20).

May God bless you this holy season as you experience the true meaning of Christmas!