The Search for the True Meaning of Christmas

Have you ever found yourself frantically searching for something that you later discovered was right in front of you? Or as my mom used to say, “If it were a snake, it would have bitten you!” Maybe you’re fumbling around, trying to figure out what you did with your smartphone – while talking to a friend with it? Or you wondered what you did with your eyeglasses – which you were actually wearing?

 

It’s said that men in particular have this problem, being asked by their wives to retrieve something from the refrigerator or a cupboard that they can’t find, even though it’s in plain sight. I plead the fifth!

 

This time of year, it seems as if lots of people engage in a similar search for the obvious, except it concerns Christmas. “What is the true meaning of Christmas?” they ask somewhat philosophically. In response to that question, we hear all kinds of answers. They range from, “It’s a magical time” to “time with family and friends” to “the season for giving.” Some folks borrow from what the angels told the shepherds on that first Christmas day, “peace on earth, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

 

Watching the seasonal rom-com movies and popular Christmas songs, we’re told it’s all about snow, snuggling up to a warm fire, meeting that special person, imagining genuine peace on earth, frantically buying gifts and attending festive parties. Curiously, Jesus is rarely if ever mentioned. 

 

It makes me scratch my head. Certainly peace, kindness, good will, joy, generosity and many other virtues are among the byproducts of the Christmas season, but if we believe what the Bible teaches, we don’t have to conduct an exhaustive search for the true meaning of Christmas. It’s declared clearly and indisputably.

 

One of the bold statements in the opening chapter of the gospel of John is, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). In other words, God took on human form and lived for a time as a man on earth, experiencing life in much the same way that we do. 

 

In Jesus Christ we find everything we need to know about God. Hebrews 1:3 puts it this way: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being….” Do we desire to comprehend what God is like? All we need to do is look to Jesus. He became the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies, including “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him ‘Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

 

During this season when buying and exchanging gifts occupies so much of our time and thoughts, we find that Jesus Christ was Himself the very first Christmas gift. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

When the biblical Christmas story is told, we often hear about the Magi, or wise men, who traveled a great distance from the East following a star – perhaps the world’s first GPS – to see the prophesied “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). When they found Jesus with His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, they presented Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts suitable for royalty.

 

So much more could be said about that initial Christmas and its meaning. For instance, God chose for His Son to be born in the obscure village of Bethlehem. The specific site for Jesus’ birth was a stable – or as many believe, actually a cave – where He and his parents were joined by dirty farm animals. His “crib” was a feeding trough for the animals. And the angels announced the good news of His birth not to the elite of Jewish society, but to a group of shepherds, representing the very bottom of the social register of that day.

 

The humbling, unassuming circumstances of the promised Messiah’s arrival, totally without the pomp and circumstances we might have expected had we been writing the story, serve as an everlasting example of what Christ expects of His followers. As Jesus admonished His disciples, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12).

Certainly, the Christmas season can mean many different things. We all have our own traditions, memories, activities, and circle of friends and family with whom we wish to spend the holiday season. But when it comes to determining “the true meaning of Christmas,” it must start and end with the celebration of the One for whom it’s named – the Christ-Mass. If we can’t see that, it’s because we’re looking in the wrong places. Or we can’t see what’s right in front of us.