What Christmas Is About

I was buying a birthday card a few weeks ago when I saw some Christmas cards on sale. One showed a little girl looking up into the night sky as she said, “Thank you, Santa, for Christmas.” I didn’t have time to read the inside but surely “Santa” took a moment to explain what Christmas is really about.

Still, you never know.

I heard a friend reporting on his visit to a new church. He said the pastor was trying to inspire his congregation to show more compassion for people in difficult situations. Yet, he never pointed to the obvious example of compassion. My friend said the pastor seemed “afraid he would offend someone if he mentioned Jesus.” Surely, that couldn’t be, not even in today’s hyper-sensitive culture.

Still, you never know.

Down in Austin—not far from the buckle of the Bible Belt—I saw a bumper sticker saying, “Keep Christ in Christianity.” Surely that was an ironic comment. After all, words mean something. “Christianity” is centered on Christ.  Still, in a world where purses are made of vegan “leather,” you never know.

A study sponsored by hotels.com reports that two in five millennials in the UK know the baby in the manger scene is Jesus. That seems an unbelievable statistic coming from the nation that gave us so many of our favorite Christmas songs.

Still, you never know.

What do we know? Here’s a quick review for tomorrow, Christmas Day.

The birth of Jesus was a promise kept.  Centuries before God had promised a redeemer would come. He would come to redeem humankind from the consequences of sin. With Christmas that Redeemer was fulfilled.

The birth of Jesus was a promise made. When Jesus was born angels were there to make new promises.  Promises concerning “good news for all people,” promises concerning salvation from sin, promises concerning “peace and good will.” All around the world, when men and women trust Christ, these promises are being kept.

As we think about Christmas, we need to remember the birth of Jesus was an ordinary moment in history. I mention history because some today doubt the story happened at all. No one who knows much about history doubts Jesus lived. Nor do they deny this man made an unprecedented impact on all who met him. I say “ordinary” because women have given birth for thousands of years. Some of those births have taken place in unusual places, police cars, shopping malls, elevators, restaurants. Jesus, who was “born of … Mary,” as the creed says, was born a real human.

We also need to remember the birth of Jesus was an extraordinary moment in history. John puts the matter succinctly, “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” He was fully God and fully human, as Christians all over the world affirm. In order to fulfill the promise made centuries before, God came to walk among us as a fellow human, came to face the same temptations we all face, face them and be victorious over them. Because of this he could face death for us. Because of this he could provide a remedy for sin.

Of course, everyone knows this is what Christmas is about.

Still, you never know.