Meaningful Christmas

Rev. Shine P. Thomas

When Jesus was born, only a few people realized He was more than an infant. The same is true today. Many people celebrate Christmas, attend Christmas services, and observe holiday traditions but fail to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Jesus existed before his birth. Most of us know Jesus only from his birth but the Bible says Jesus was preexistent. Jn. 1:1 claims His preexistence. “In the beginning was the Word that is, Jesus?…. and the Word was God.” Jesus came into this world with a purpose. As a believer you will probably say Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost but the Bible goes further to say Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and to offer us a relationship with Him. Jesus came to be an offering for our sin and to reveal the will of the Father to us. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father… He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” (Jn. 14:7-9).

One of the best things about the virgin birth of Christ is that it reveals to us that it is impossible for the flesh to bring salvation. Salvation is a gift of God’s love. Salvation had to begin with God and had to come from God. Jesus brought forth salvation which He accomplished on the cross. Salvation is a result of the Father’s love who gave his only son Jesus for us.

This is part of a true story of a Northwest Airlines plane crash years ago. There was a little girl that came out unscratched of this plane. When they found her, they couldn’t believe that she came off the plane and thought maybe she was driven there by someone. Her mother had died in the crash and they didn’t understand how she could have survived and be there standing outside the plane. Then they discovered that when the plane was going down the mother wrapped herself around the child and covered her completely and when the plane crashed, her body completely absorbed the impact and the child was preserved. Her love protected her child. That is the kind of saviour we have and what He has promised to do for His children. As this mother’s love preserved and protected her child, so also God’s love is for us to preserve and protect us from harm that would otherwise destroy us. His love is greater than even a mother’s love.

Beloved, Christmas is a time of joy, happiness, and celebration, but the reality is that for many it is a time of sadness, discouragement, depression, and despair because of broken relationships and broken hopes. We can be healed and become whole through faith in Christ and what He has done for us. He is able to help us to recover all that we have lost and heal our broken hearts and spirits and give us joy and hope again. Only Christ can cause your life to become all that He intended for it to be. Let us look forward to this Christmas with the joy of Christ. As we enter Christmastime, let us be assured of the true meaning of this season. God Bless!