The Real. Meaning. of Christmas.

As a society, we seem to be puzzled over so many things. For instance, in basketball, who was better: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Lebron James? In football, is Tom Brady really a better quarterback than Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers? Is it really about global warming, climate change, or is Joe the meteorologist just a bad forecaster? 

We have the imponderables, such as who’s right, the Democrats or the Republicans? Is it really all about you – or is it all about me? Is a zebra white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? Then there’s one of the all-time classics: less filling – or tastes great?

But one topic of discussion seems to transcend them all, particularly at this time of year, is: What’s the real meaning of Christmas? If you’ve watched any of the TV specials this year – or any year – we hear this question raised again and again. And the range of answers is astounding. 

According to celebrity hosts and pontificators aplenty, Christmas is all about (take your choice): 1) getting together with friends and family; 2) love for our fellow man/woman/person; 3) sharing; 4) peace and joy and good will; 5) Santa Claus; 6) giving; 7) good food and feeling all warm and fuzzy all over. You can probably add to this list, but we have no shortage of perspectives on what Christmas means.

It’s fun spending festive, relaxing time with loved ones. Who among us is opposed to peace, joy and good will? This time of year would seem strange without jolly old Saint Nick. And when it’s cold outside, warm and fuzzy inside feels good. But isn’t it time we get this whole business cleared up? If we go straight to the source, it’s evident the real meaning of Christmas is none of the above.

Turning to where the original Christmas story is found, in the Bible, we see its meaning summed up in four words: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Think about it: If Jesus hadn’t been born, we’d not be singing about wise men at this time of year. Angels would have had no reason for serenading a group of shepherds quietly watching over their sheep. Hardly anyone would have ever heard of a little town named Bethlehem. The little drummer boy would have had to play for someone else.

But it goes far beyond that. If God hadn’t chosen to come to earth in human form, we wouldn’t be dividing human history by B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini). The cross might have been cited in some obscure historic writings about ancient Roman practices, but it certainly wouldn’t have become a revered religious symbol. Most of all, we’d still be thinking about God as distant and unknowable, rather than the God who came near and desired to know us – and be known.

Perhaps Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey said it best in their book, In His Image. Regarding Jesus – “the Word” who became flesh – they state He “became the visible, finite expression of the invisible, infinite, inexpressible God.” 

But why did Jesus come? This question is best answered in His own words. For instance, the Lord stated, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). In the very next verse, the One who was proclaimed to the shepherds Himself proclaimed, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep…. I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:15).

For all of us who desire to know God, but have struggled to discover how that can be possible, Jesus asserted, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The One who taught us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), and to “do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12), came to earth not only to teach, and serve as an example, but also to do for us what we couldn’t possibly do for ourselves. 

We were, in the words of Ephesians 2:1, “dead in [our] trespasses and sins.” How can dead people save themselves? For that reason, Jesus gave His life to atone for our sins. As Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

As a result, while we envision baby Jesus receiving gifts such as gold, frankincense and myrrh from the Magi, we should also consider how from birth, He was preparing to give the greatest gift of all: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

So in a few days, as we revel in the byproducts of this season – fun, frivolity, and festivities – we would do well to consider what the Scriptures themselves tell us about the “real meaning of Christmas.” I hope you enjoy a truly merry Christmas – celebrating the Christ who started it all!

Lots of Wants, But Not Many Needs

As Christmas nears, familiar scenes with the Christ child in the
manger are prominent, but there's a lot more to the story.

Years ago my family and I returned to Houston, Texas, where we lived for three years, to visit with family and old friends. I’ll always remember a former coworker’s answer when I asked how he, his wife and children were doing. “Well,” he said, “we have some wants, but we don’t have any needs.”

That was the first time I’d heard anyone express it that way, but it’s true for many of us. In our society, consumerism reigns, aiming to elevate our “wants” to the level of perceived needs. The more we get the merrier. We want a new smartphone, tablet or HD-TV, but we don’t need them. We go into stores and see the newest clothing styles on display, along with shoes, glitzy appliances and newly released CDs and DVDs. We want them – but don’t need them.

Being an admitted “bookaholic,” I have more books in my possession than I’ll probably ever read, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting more. I always seem to “need” more memorabilia and T-shirts for showing my avid support of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Millions of people in this world truly need things like food, clothing, a safe place to live, or a job. But anyone reading this is probably affluent enough not to be counted among them. A need is something that can bring disastrous consequences if it’s not met. We might feel we need a new bracelet, watch or pair of earrings, a new coat or shirt, but could it be just a want?

I don’t mean to sound like Scrooge as we approach the magical morning of Christmas, when many of us will exchange gifts with loved ones. It’s a happy tradition, hopefully an opportunity to understand more fully why Jesus said it’s more blessed to give than to receive. At the same time, as we consider the true meaning of Christmas – the commemoration of Christ’s birth – we would be wise to recognize He came not to fulfill our wants, but to meet our most foundational need.

Starting with Adam and Eve, mankind has had a problem: Severed from a right relationship with God because of disobedience and rebellion against His laws and standards for living. The Bible calls it “sin.” Throughout history, people have tried to remedy this through something called “religion” – rituals, traditions, rules, dogma, and institutionalism. It’s what someone has called, “man’s best effort to reach God.”

Unfortunately, feeble attempts by unholy people to earn the favor of a holy God are about as effective as attempting to swim the Pacific Ocean. Even a champion swimmer will cover only a small fraction of the distance before having to give up and fall woefully short of the goal. In the face of this futility, God instead chose to provide the remedy Himself, reaching down to mankind and offering redemption – reconciliation through Jesus.

At sporting events, on highway overpasses, billboards and even drink cups we sometimes see the inscription, John 3:16. It’s become commonplace enough that it might seem like a cliché, but its meaning remains as profound as ever: “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.” This was truly the first Christmas gift.

Another passage underscores this truth: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Think about it – when Jesus willingly went to the cross to serve as our atoning sacrifice, the payment for our sins, how many sins had you and I committed by that time? The answer, of course, is none. We hadn’t been born yet. But if we’re honest, we’ve more than made up for lost time since entering the world. That’s why 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Unlike Old Testament sacrifices that were carried out daily by the Israelite priests, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was once for all time – past, present and future.

So as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, visualizing the Nativity scene of a young mother, her betrothed husband and an infant lying in a makeshift cradle, let’s remember Jesus came to meet our deepest need – to become reconciled to God.

In our rebellious moments, we don’t even recognize that need. We want what we want, and if that’s contrary to God’s will, too bad. But Jesus didn’t come to appease our wants, our lust for having our own way. He came to fulfill the need we didn’t even know we had until He graciously revealed it to us. When images of Bethlehem come to your mind’s eye, don’t separate the cradle from the cross.

Merry Christmas!

Uninvited . . . to Your Own Birthday Party?

Can you imagine someone telling you about plans to stage a huge party for your birthday, and then informing you, “Oh, uh, by the way, you’re not invited. We really don’t want you there”?

How quickly would your jaw drop? Would you catch it in time before it hit the floor?

Then, before you could even say, “What?!”, the person would reply, “Oh, nothing personal. Well, actually, it is personal. If you were there, you’d make us feel uncomfortable, and it would have to be all about you. We really don’t want that.”

That’s basically what happens across much of America as we celebrate Christmas. The holiday that incorporates the name of Christ in its title will, in many quarters, have little or nothing to do with Jesus. In fact, great effort is often made to ensure He is excluded from consideration.

So what if the holiday is called Christ-mas? Isn’t it really all about exchanging gifts and Santa Claus and eating good food and spending time with family and friends you don’t see the rest of the year?

Why would the birth of a child be such a
turning point in the history of mankind?

It’s not new, but more than ever in our age of political correctness we sponsor "holiday parties" and schools close for "winter break," instead of Christmas parties and Christmas vacation. In many retail stores and restaurants, employees wish us “Happy holiday” instead of “Merry Christmas.” Nativity scenes on public display are regarded as offensive and intolerant.

And of course we hear profound, high-sounding opinions from “sophisticated” thinkers, commentators and columnists, even religious leaders, discussing and debating “what is the real meaning of Christmas?” To me, such rhetoric is as pointless as analyzing the meaning of spaghetti, or the meaning of a bathrobe. The meaning’s so obvious the question shouldn’t merit a response. But if you exclude Christ from Christmas, you certainly do need to formulate some other explanation for the celebration.

Now if someone asked why we celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, I’d agree that’s a worthwhile question. No one knows for certain the date Jesus was born. It likely wasn’t Dec. 25. Maybe it was March 17, October 21, or perhaps July 4. Who knows? And what difference does that really make?

The point is that we do celebrate the birth of Christ, aware that had it not been for His life, His death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection, there would be no need to commemorate His birth. Without each of those events, Jesus would be just another forgotten individual born to Jewish parents in the ancient Middle East.

But as John 1:14 informs us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God willingly chose to come and live with us, experiencing life as a human being – its joys, its frustrations, its pain, temptations and sorrows. Whenever we want to say, “God, You just don’t understand,” He replies, “Oh, yes I do. I’ve been there and done that.”

He didn’t stay as “little baby Jesus,” but became a man, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, giving hope to the hopeless, and dying for sins He didn’t commit – so that we could receive forgiveness we don’t deserve. That, I’m convinced, is the real meaning of Christmas.

So as you gather with your loved ones to celebrate Christmas, enjoy the gifts and the food, the banter and the hugs. But please, let Jesus – the Christ of Christmas – be a welcomed guest at His own party.