Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Christmas is a celebration, that’s why we say Merry Christmas – it is Jesus’ birthday. Ironically, most Christmas celebrations ignore the Person whose birthday it is. He’s often overlooked or merely mentioned along with Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, the Grinch, elves or other fictional characters.
- What do we celebrate?
Most people celebrate things other than Jesus -- a Christmas bonus, we survived another year, got all my shopping done, being home for Christmas, my candidate was elected, or numerous other reasons, but too often Jesus is not one of them.
The first purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Luke 2:10
There are three reasons to celebrate:
- UNTO YOU – this is personal. Salvation is not an “in mass” type of occurrence. It is a very personal and individual thing. This does not mean that we make our own way of salvation, but God deals with us individually and personally. He works on us as individuals to ring us into His family.
- GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY – this is positive. This is different from what we are constantly hearing today. Today we hear, “Another more powerful strain of COVID is spreading and we need to hibernate.” This announcement is good news of great joy for now and in the future.
- WHICH SHALL BE TO ALL PEOPLE – this is universal. The announcement is not universalism (the teaching that all will eventually be saved). This means that the opportunity and possibility for all is there. We are given the opportunity to make the greatest choice for eternity for our life after life.
Why do we celebrate?
First, we celebrate because God loves us. The most memorize verse is John 3:16. God took on human form so we can be saved. The truth behind all that and all that it means is summed up in three words: God loves you.
Second, God is with us – that’s what Immanuel means. As the song writer put it, God is now with man residing. Jesus was fully God and yet He was fully man. In our finiteness we cannot possibly comprehend this, but in our eyes and minds of faith it is blessedness.
Third, God is for us. Some get the idea that God is some type of tyrant with a big club just waiting for us to get out of line so He can whack us. If we closely examined our problems and heartaches, we would have to admit we are the cause of them and not God. We reap what we sow and it gets pretty bad for some.
So, as we celebrate Christmas this year remember that’s what we are called to do. Celebrate the Savior born and the love given to the world wrapped in swaddling clothes