Christmas Every Day

This time of year we are surrounded by myriad voices telling us to "buy this to make the season special" and "the real reason for the season is Jesus". The two voices are opposed, of course. Yet we indulge in both to some degree. The first voice really does nothing to cause us to edify God. The second, may or may not. The question is, "what do we mean when we say that Jesus is the reason for the season?" (And shouldn't we say the same thing at Easter time?) To clarify, what is it exactly that we are celebrating, and even more importantly, why?

We all know the story: Jesus born to Mary, a virgin, and Joseph, in Bethlehem, in lowly estate. Interesting, but noteworthy? Now consider that Jesus is God, taking on a human body and experiencing fully what it is to be a part of mankind. More compelling, but significant? If that is the extent of it--that God now has a fully "human" experience and can "relate" to us better than even our peers, I still don't see the point. Even adding the life of Christ here on earth and his teaching of, as some say, "how to do life," does not make it all something worth the celebrations we have each year.

What we have that is worth celebrating year after year is that in Christ we have not just the things mentioned above, but the fulfillment of the law of God in order that we can be reconciled to Him. That He submitted to the will of the Father and completed his plan of salvation for us. In comparison to the forgiveness of sins and right standing with God that we enjoy as those called out of bondage, the other aspects seem unimportant. They are however integral to our salvation. The humanity of Christ in the person of Jesus is what makes possible for him to be the perfect sacrifice in our place. The virgin birth that gives him his sinless nature. The life lived sinlessly (and the humanness that ability to relate to us as high-priest). All these things are significant too, but only in light of the plan of salvation. Our salvation makes Christ's coming worth celebrating.

We have in Christ so much to celebrate that it seems silly to try to do it all in one day (or two if you count Easter). We should celebrate Christ's coming (especially what the reason for that coming was) every day as we also look forward to his coming again.

May we all celebrate the reason Christ came: that he was the sacrifice for our sins, that we can be saved.

Merry Christmas