The Christmas Switch
I always knew Christmas was about the birth of Jesus; however, as a kid, what mattered to me most were the traditions, lights, gifts, and foods that came along with the season.
I lived my Christmases this way until Christmas Eve 2017; the day I rededicated my life to Christ at the end of a church service. My life was forever changed.
As the years have passed and I’ve learned more about who God is, Christmas becomes increasingly different in how I value it. It has become not only a time when I reflect upon what Jesus has done in my life these three years, but especially where I remember what Jesus did on the cross.
I think that often the Church separates the birth from the resurrection of Jesus and tends not to connect them. When we do that, we forget the real reason for the season. When we don’t comprehend the full magnitude of what His birth meant–including what was to come 33 years later–we lose the opportunity to see Christmas for all that it is.
This year, I am choosing to see Christmas for all that it is.
Yes, I still decorated my home, watched Hallmark Christmas movies, and did my holiday shopping; however, I choose to stay mindful of what matters in the end.
Today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, I must remember that He was born to die for me. More than this, He was born to die a sinner’s death He did nothing to earn. He voluntarily came to Earth, did the Father’s will (John 6:38) without sin (1 Peter 2:22), and died upon a cross so that I could live mine in freedom through His righteous blood.
In a dark, depraved world, Jesus came as a radiating light (John 12:46)–a light that lives within us because of who we are in Him (Matthew 5:14).
While this Christmas may not be exactly the way we would have imagined it, I choose to look at it with gratitude for everything I do have–everything in and through Jesus Christ. If I have Him, that’s all I need (Philippians 3:8). This is something I can so often lose sight of.
The cross is why Jesus came to Earth–to be the propitiation of sin (1 John 2:2). And when I live in remembrance of what that means, I can celebrate the coming of Immanuel (Matthew 1:23) and the deliverance He was to bring that day so long ago with much more of an understanding.
I pray that each one of us is blessed this Christmas with the revelation of the cross. Let us remember to be thankful to the One who gave it all to become human and pay the price we were unable to pay. May the name of Jesus Christ be rightfully exalted!