Merry Christmas!

It is Christmas 2009. It is great to hear people say Merry Christmas, instead of Happy Holidays. Even though Holidays means Holy Day and I can’t think of anything more holy than celebrating God that became flesh to dwell among us, sacrificing Himself for us so that we might have eternal life. We hear people talk about the “true meaning of Christmas”. What exactly is that? It’s like when people tell you that they don’t believe in organized religion they just follow the Ten Commandments. Then when you ask them to name them and they get a blank look on their face!

Some say that the true meaning of Christmas is giving, and we do indeed see an increase in giving during the Christmas season. Some charities receive as much as half of their support in the month of December. Giving of course is a good thing, Jesus said that it is better to give than to receive, but is that the true meaning of Christmas?

Then others will say that it really is about family and the gathering of family from far and wide in love and fellowship. You may have heard it said that the theory of relativity is really tested during Christmas; because it is amazing how slow time goes when there are relatives in the house! Sometime gathering all of those uncles, aunts and cousins together is not all that much fun. But as scripture says they will know we are Christians by the love we have for one another. So it is a wonderful thing to have family that loves each other.

Finally someone will say it is really about the birth of Jesus Christ. But, is December 25th the day that Jesus was born? Probably not. Christmas was first celebrated in 336 A.D. under the rule of Constantine. They took their winter solstice holiday honoring the Roman god Saturn and changed it to Jesus’ birthday. We don’t really know what day Jesus was born on and it doesn’t really matter, what does matter is that Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified dead and buried, he descended into hell and on the third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of the Father. You know the rest.

I remember a friend of mine asking me what John 3:16 had to do with football, since he would see people holding up John 3:16 signs in the end zone at games. Well it doesn’t have anything to do with football, but has everything to do with life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him should not perish but have ever lasting life”. I am one of those whosoever’s and I know that the true meaning of Christmas is found in Gods’ amazing love for us, His shedding of blood for us so that we might have eternal life! The truth (true meaning of Christmas) shall set you free!



Merry Christmas!