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Hello everyone and welcome to another post!
It's not too hard to believe that we're already in the month of December or that Christmas is right around the corner especially when you see all the holiday décor and Christmas trees. In fact, my family and I finally got around to setting up our Christmas tree as well as finish putting up holiday decorations around the house less than 24 hours ago.
As we were getting things set up, we had some Christmas music playing in the background. One of the songs that came on caught my attention because the singer was singing about what Christmas means to people. He listed several things like love, joy and presents... but then as I thought more about the lyrics of the song, I started asking myself, what does Christmas mean to me?
This question continued to linger in my mind and inspired today's post which I've titled: "Your Meaning of Christ in Christmas."
If you search the scriptures or study history, you would realize that the actual date of Jesus' birth is not recorded anywhere in the Bible. December 25th is just a day that has been adopted to represent the day of His birth.
According to one of the history websites, I consulted for this post, Easter was the more celebrated holiday until the 4th century when Christians decided to institute December 25th as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Further research indicated that this time was chosen because this was around the time of a festival that was celebrated called "Feast of the Nativity."
History aside, we are all attracted to birth of life/beginnings; and this is why child births are very special and babies are fond over.
The birth of Christ is even more special considering His identity and the miracle of His incarnation. John 1:14 states: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Jesus coming to earth to be born is very significant to our Christian faith. It is the start of His redemptive work here on earth. This message then begins to add a lot of meaning and value to the reason why us Christians celebrate his birth.
It's rather unfortunate to realize that even though there are several people that celebrate Christmas, there are also several people that have no idea what the true reason for the celebration is. Some think its all about the food, presents or family gatherings.
So how do we add the meaning of Christ in Christmas?
Get to know Him.
It sounds simple, but truth is a bit more complicated than that. Paul writes in Philippians 3:10 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."
The birth of Christ was just the beginning of the redemptive work He came to accomplish on this earth. Celebrating His birth with the knowledge that He grew up, suffered, died and rose again, just for you and I changes the meaning of Christmas.
2. Tell others about Him
What if sharing the gospel of Jesus was part of our list of gifts that we gave others this year? Sadly, a lot of the people around us do not have a relationship or even a basic knowledge about who Christ is, let alone the meaning of Christmas.
However, the Bible tells us that we would be held responsible for not telling others about Him. Ezekiel 3:18 states: "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."
Conclusion
While, Christmas is a fun, festive time for all of us, lets not forget the true meaning and reason why we celebrate it. The more I thought about what Christmas means to me, the more I realized, its truly all about Jesus and what He did for me. But what about you? What is your meaning of Christ in Christmas? Or is He completely out of the picture?
This week, I urge you to spend some time in the Word of God. Learn more about Him. Also, look for ways to share about Him.
Quick Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus to come to this earth. As we all celebrate his coming, help us to remember that its not all about presents, food, family gatherings at this time..., but that it's about you and the redemptive work you did. Please help me to share with others about the true meaning of the season. Let me be a light at this time. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Stay Blessed
❤
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