Christmas, the Good News for All People
Luke 2:8-20
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Ah, Christmas, the season of gift giving and merry making. It is a time where families and friends gather to celebrate the holiday season. But for Christians, we focus on the event that changed our lives, the birth of our Messiah, Jesus. Now, is it fair to say that only Christians should celebrate the birth of Jesus? It seems logical since we believe in the incarnation of the Son as Jesus, as was foretold by the prophets. However, far be it from Christians to only celebrate Jesus, as His birth is Good News for all people. How is that so? To understand we need to start from the beginning.
Our Purpose (Gen 1:27-28, 2:16-17)
We were put on this Earth as creatures in God’s image (Gen 1:27-28). We were tasked to care for the other beings of creation and to enjoy the presence of God forever. Our sole restriction was to not eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17).
Our Fall (Gen 3:6-7, 6:5-6, Isaiah 29:13, 29:16)
Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and disobeyed God’s command (Gen 3:6-7) and instead of repenting of their sin, they hid from God. As a result, the relationship between mankind and God was broken. As man was exiled from the Garden of Eden, their work became difficult on the Earth and their corruption grew (Gen. 6:5-6).
Our Hope (Isaiah 49:15, Hosea, 11:8, Ezekiel 34:15-16)
Yet God is faithful. He did not let us, who bear his image, be forsaken (Isaiah 49:15). How can God do so? Why does he keep seeking communion with us? For He is our Father, and our Father is love (Hosea 11:8). For He is our Shepherd and will gather us, his flock (Ezekiel 34:15-16). For He is our God, our Creator.
So to recap, we were created with a purpose. We were to commune with God and watch over his creation. We failed, and chose to be the lord of our lives. In our sin we grew more corrupt and drew further away from God. Yet, God did not give up on us. God created a plan to restore our relationship the moment it was broken, through a promised one.
Our Restoration (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Luke 1:26-33, 2:8-14)
God spoke through his prophets of a promised one, the Messiah who would redeem us. He will have the same nature as God be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Through Him, Jesus, mankind will be saved (Luke 1:26-33). The beginning of the restoration of our relationship with God.
Now you may say, that is all fine but…what does that have to do with me? What if I do not believe in Jesus? How can you say that Jesus saved us when there is still so much suffering, strife, violence, and destruction surrounding us?
Our response is that we CAN celebrate since there is hope. Hope that there is a finite end to suffering, that there is a place of divine restoration, that there is a being who has known you before you were ever formed and you belong to His family. Jesus’ birth marks the beginning of the end of the groanings we have made towards God in our exile. As we can obtain true hope, peace, joy, and love through the restored relationship with God; something not possible without Jesus. These characteristics are not fleeting emotions we attribute to changes in our life or things we experience; they are deep rooted in our spirit, in our core.
This is our testimony. That before Jesus entered in our hearts, we filled our hearts with fragments, a shadow, of what hope, peace, joy, and love were; not what they truly are. With Jesus in our hearts, our hope is eternal as we see the promises that God has answered today and are assured God will continue to keep his promises tomorrow. Our peace is knowing that our time here is limited, that our existence is a fleeting moment in light of eternity with God; so why worry? Our joy is that there is a life after this, an eternal one where we will be restored to our original purpose; free of suffering. And love, the love of God is what made this possible and this love surpassed all social boundaries, all familial strife, all irreparable acts; an unconditional, gracious love.
So what is the purpose of Christmas? Yes, it is important for us to honor Jesus’ birth as Christians, but even more so, it is our charge to share the Good News to those who have not met Jesus. The Good News that there is more to life than just what we experience. We do not have to take each day as it is given, but we can be molded by God’s presence and gain the perspective of our lives through the lens of eternity. Your suffering has an end. Your loved ones will not be forsaken. Your grief is valid, yet there is hope. May the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus brings overwhelm the chaos of this life.
Reflection Questions:
Is there something going on within your life, or the life of someone you know that has questioned God’s goodness? Are you able to reconcile the situation by seeing it from the perspective of hope, peace, joy, love Jesus brings?
When do you find yourself disobeying God? Disobedience was the first sin, and was made from the temptation of taking God’s spot in our lives. Do you find yourself disobeying due to similar reasons?
Reflection:
Merry Christmas everyone. Truly, blessings to all who celebrate the birth of our Messiah. My heart is full of gratitude towards our Father for remembering us in our disobedience and sending his Son to redeem us of our iniquity. It saddens me that we were unable to restore our relationship with the Father without his sacrifice. Yet it is through this sacrifice that I can understand that truly the chasm was far too wide, and it would be impossible for me to come back to God’s presence and be fully restored, without Him.
Although I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, I admit that I have struggles in following His commands. Like Adam and Eve, I am tempted each day to be the Lord, the God, the Ruler of my life. Although there is no fruit of knowledge of good and evil, there is the knowledge of what my Father desires through his Word, through the teachings of his Son, and through the conviction by his Spirit. I feel like my disobedience stems from either wanting to take control of a situation, or by forgetting (or disregarding) God’s solution to my issue. It really is as easy as remembering Jesus and remembering the divine hope, peace, love, and joy he brings.
I ask God to forgive me of my weakness. I desire to show my love to my Father by spending time with him and listening to his word.
I have forgotten the purpose of Christmas; to not only celebrate the birth of Jesus, but to spread the Good News to all. I pray that I can infuse my word’s with your heart and spread the gospel of truth to your lost children.
