Does Christmas still matter?
It is easy to get caught up in life, the culture we find ourselves in today wanting more, more, more and everything we have to get done around the holidays. We sometimes even dread the holiday season because we find ourselves so busy that we never enjoy the little moments of the holiday. Today, many ask, does Christmas still truly matter? Is the meaning of it lost?
It is easy to ask ourselves this. We must look no further than the original Christmas story. The answers are still there all these years later as to why Christmas matters now more than ever. These 3 points help our household to understand the true meaning of Christmas.
1. Hope
The original story of Christmas finds Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary who traveled a long way to Bethlehem to register for a census but could not obtain proper lodging. Mary would give birth to her baby and then laid him in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Eventually, King Herod sought to kill the baby. Warned of impending risk, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt, then returned home after Herod’s death.
It would have been challenging being Mary and Joseph. First, your baby is being sought to be killed. This would bring such stress and worrisome over the soon to be parents. Second, if you really were giving birth to Jesus, where are all of the people to help make sure the baby will taken care of. Jesus arrived with very little fanfare for such an important moment in history. A moment that would change the world forever. Today we face social and cultural challenges, the Christmas story gives us hope to overcome whatever we find ourselves in. We have hope of new life linked to something greater than ourself. We do not need all of the fanfare to be able to live our life to the fullest and make a difference.
2. Humility and Grace
When kings, people of great importance appear in public, there is often a large scene with people and security. From a biblical perspective, Jesus came first not as a ruling king but as a servant, a baby born in humble circumstances. His becoming human helps humans identify with him.
In Philippians 2:6-9, we see where Paul, an early follower of Jesus, wrote of the humility Jesus displayed by becoming human: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.
3. Peace and Love
During the holiday season we sing songs about “peace on earth.’ Other songs, cards and signs talk about peace and love, but what does that truly mean?
In the second chapter of Luke it states in verses 10-14, “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Christmas is all about a story of peace on Earth and the love of the one true messiah.
The original Christmas story is filled with Hope, Humility, Grace, Peace and Love. This still holds true today as we gather together to celebrate the story of a baby born in a manger. When we take a look at our own lives, we can relate so similarly. Do we try to make our lives look picture perfect on the outside but in reality, is it a jumbled mess? A lot of us use social media to showcase our lives and what is going on, but by doing so we tend to place the filters on the pictures and mask the internal pain and beauty of a moment. Take a look at how Jesus was born and brought into the world! God knew his important role for all of us, and had Jesus start with humble beginnings. Our job on earth is to not bring world peace, instead it is to humble ourselves and bring peace, hope and love to others who are around us each and every day.
No matter how old or young you are or what your title is, you can do something to change the world. Unfortunately, God doesn’t reach down from heaven in some dramatic way and make everything wrong right, but He created us to love others around us with humility. He works through his people to make the world a better place to be!
We must never forget the true meaning of the original Christmas story. So, does Christmas still matter? You bet it does!
Merry Christmas!
XOXO
Mark and Megan