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People need hope more than ever. As followers of Jesus, we have this promise in Colossians 1:27.....CLICK HERE

Wednesday-Christmas

 

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

 

Hebrews 10:5,6

 

Everybody loves Christmas. As the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year[1].” According to some research[2], people are generally happier during the holidays, and Christmas Day is the happiest day of the year. Some say that the Christmas spirit and holiday cheer are real, and that there are several psychological reasons why people experience happiness during the holiday season.

 

And more than just a happy feeling, it does a lot for the economy. Christmas is wildly beneficial to the economy and jobs. It provides a huge boost to both spending and production. Last year there was $957 billion in holiday retail sales. And don’t forget the over $250 billion of online sales too.

 

While all this is really interesting, let’s not forget an even more important part of Christmas. And that would be food. On average, Americans spend about $231 per person on Christmas food and decorations. I don’t know who these people are that spend this much, but I want to be adopted by them to cash in on the goodies.

 

But Christmas is so much more than about employment, paychecks, gifts, and food. At it’s heart, Christmas is what separates Jesus from every other religion, prophet, seer, priest, or anyone else on the planet Earth. While the lie is that all religions are basically the same, Christmas separates Christianity from everyone and everything else.

 

  • Christmas reminds us just how broken and messed up we really are[3]. If we were able to fix ourselves, then Christmas isn’t necessary.

  • Christmas celebrates the God and creator of the universe coming down and being born as a baby[4]. Just like we were.

  • Christmas is an important step of God’s good news, bringing us back to himself because it leads to Jesus dying on a cross, paying for all our sins[5].

 

Even though the word Christmas hadn’t been invented yet, the writer of this letter brings his readers to this all important part of their faith. At its heart, Christianity is a faith where God comes down and becomes a person just like us.

 

As God from eternity past, he is a spirit[6]. He doesn’t have a body. He doesn’t have flesh and bones like we do[7]. And to experience life like we do, to be tempted just like we are[8], he had to become a man and be born of a virgin[9].

 

If you lose Christmas, you basically lose Jesus and all of Christianity. He becomes just another teacher who appeared and said some interesting things. Christianity comes down from the mountain and becomes just another religion. With Jesus, we get God come down and become Emanuel, God with us[10].

 

This is wildly important for the Hebrews who are reading this for the first time. They were spread all over the world, so there wasn’t any way for them to get to Jerusalem for the sacrifices. Or to celebrate all the holidays. And in just a few years, when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans, all sacrifices for sin stopped once and for all.

 

Now, you might be thinking that this is all fine and dandy for the Hebrews back in the day. But what does it have to do with me? Does it have any application for my life? Can it change the way I live and experience life? In a word, you bet your boots it does.

 

If we’re honest with ourselves and one another, we’re still trying to get God to like us. We want his approval. So, what do we do? We try and do all sorts of good things to impress God. To earn eternal Brownie Points, we do anything to put heavenly bucks in our wallet. And when we do something wrong, we can then take those bucks out to pay for what we did. What we said. What we thought.

 

But that’s not what life with God’s all about. He’s already paid the price for all our sins. Once and for all, they’ve been taken care of on the cross. When Jesus went to the cross, all our debt was put on him. And when he died, our eternal statement was stamped, “Paid in full.”

 

So, when we try and impress God with our good works, we’re telling him that the death of Jesus wasn’t enough. That his resurrection wasn’t enough. And because something was missing, we have to step in and pay the rest. We’ve got to slave away to earn God’s lovingkindness. And that completely destroys Christmas. Instead, we need to receive the Jesus of Christmas and his forever payment for all our sin. Now that’s the best Christmas present ever.

 

Noodling Questions

 

  • How does Christmas figure into your life? Is it central or just another day?

  • Describe how Jesus coming to Earth changes everything.

  • What should Christmas do to the way we see the world? The way we live?


[2] Matt Killingsworth, Ph.D., trackyourhappiness.org, Senior Fellow, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

[3] Romans 3:23

[4] Matthew 1:23

[5] Matthew 1:21

[6] John 4:24

[7] Luke 24:39

[8] Hebrews 4:15

[9] Luke 1:27

[10] Isaiah 41:10

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