Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. If there is a single word that describes what Christmas is all about, it is a Hebrew word, “Emmanuel” found in the gospel of Matthew: It reads "Look, the virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us. In the manger, we find not only the Savior of the world but also the Creator of the universe, God with us—Immanuel. (Matthew 1:21-23)
The birth of Jesus was not random. Everything was planned meticulously from the beginning, from His birth all the way to His resurrection and ascension into heaven. God intended for people to turn to Him in repentance, and to experience forgiveness of sins through His son Jesus. He did what no man could have done – He left His home in heaven to come to earth and give His life for the redemption and restoration of the world. Jesus knew that He would eventually die on the cross, but He chose to come to this world as an infant anyway. The coming of the Lord Jesus has changed the world forever.
Jesus Christ was born in a tiny place called Bethlehem about two thousand and twenty years ago. His very birth divides all history. We count the year's BC and AD: Before Christ and Anno Domini: the year of the Lord. At Christmas, we are not only celebrating the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus. Christmas represents the manifestation of God’s love for us. Christmas celebrates the Savior and the sacrifice that He made so that mankind could have restored fellowship with God.
The heart of Christmas is beautifully described in the gospel of John. St. John rightly wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). It has been called the gospel, in a nutshell, a summary of Scripture, and a blueprint for salvation. Luther called John 3:16 “The Gospel in Miniature.”
Christmas is a Celebration of God’s Love for us: The first thing we notice in the gospel of John 3:16 is the great scope of God’s love. “God so loved the world.” God doesn’t just love one set of people. He does not just love one particular nation or race. The scope of God’s love covers the whole world – every nation, tribe, language, and Community. God – in his great love -- sent the Son to save sinners. Jesus, the Son of God displayed God’s great love by dying for sinners. The Bible doesn’t say God has love; it says God is love. Love is his nature and God’s love extends to all people everywhere in the world. So, Christmas is for all people.
Secondly, John 3:16 teaches us the depth of God’s love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Jesus is not only God’s only Son, but he is uniquely God’s Son in a way that no other person can ever be. Bible says this about Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2) Bible also says that Christ is the “only begotten Son” of God. What does that mean? It means that Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity. He is God the Son. He is of the same essence as God the Father. He is begotten, but not created. He has always existed as God’s Son. He shares God’s very essence. He is God’s one and only Son. Jesus is not just a special person, He is God, who became man. In John 1:14 we read: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ never wrote a book that we know of, yet the books that have been written about Him would fill the libraries of this world. He never painted a picture or carved a sculpture that we know of, yet He has been the inspiration behind the greatest art of the world. He never wrote a song that we know of, yet millions sing the many songs of Heaven based on Jesus. He never raised an army that we know of, but He has a great army of followers. Followers who are willing to die for Him, to live for Him, and to share His love. His travels were limited as far as we know, never traveling outside the land of Israel. Yet, around the world, the sun does not set on people who are worshipping the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He started with only a handful of followers, yet over 40% of the world population say they believe in Jesus Christ. He only taught for three years, yet for two thousand years, we are still studying every word that the Lord Jesus said. He had no formal education, but thousands of universities, colleges, schools, and Hospitals have been founded in His name. Kenneth Scott Latourette said: “Jesus has had more effect on the history of mankind than any other of its race who ever existed. To explain Jesus is impossible. To ignore Jesus is disastrous. To deny Him is fatal.”
The name Jesus in Hebrew, it’s Joshua, which means “Jehovah’s deliverer,” and that’s exactly what the Messiah was. God told Joseph to name the child Jesus “because He would save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21). It’s the name above every other and the only one by which we can be saved. As human beings, we cannot ascent to God. We are not acceptable to God in ourselves. We have sinned and cannot stand before a holy God, but in Jesus Christ, God came down to us. Jesus opened His arms and invited us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This invitation still stands today. The Bible says: “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1: 12). Jesus is not to be prominent in our lives; He is to be pre-eminent. Jesus doesn’t just show the way; He is the way, Jesus doesn’t just give life; He is the life, Jesus doesn’t just tell the truth; He is the truth.
Thirdly, John 3:16 teaches us the scope of God’s love – God loves the world. It teaches us the depth of God’s love – he gave his Son. It also teaches us the fruit of God’s love – which is our salvation. “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 asked what was the greatest commandment,
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-41) Bible tells us that it is vital for us to understand God’s unconditional, selfless, sacrificial, steadfast, and redemptive love. The Bible says, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3). Jesus came to give himself as a sacrifice for all peoples so that we could escape our corruption and reconnect with God.
The reason God sent his Son is that we were lost. We are all sinners. We have all broken God’s law, and we are separated from God because of our sins. God is a righteous judge who must punish sin. The punishment for sin is death – not just physical death, but spiritual death, eternal death. That’s what the word “perish” means in John 3:16. It means to die in your sins, eternally separated from God and his love. God loved us, and he didn’t want us to die. And so, he sent his son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Not everyone is saved, but only those who believe in Christ. The word “believe” means to trust. It means believing that Jesus truly is God’s Son and that he died on the cross for your sins, and trusting your life into his hands. That’s why God sent his Son. That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Notice the word “whoever.” It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter how badly you have sinned against God or against other people. It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are. If you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, God will save you. He will forgive your sins and give you the gift of eternal life. It’s not something you earn or deserve. You receive it as a free gift simply by believing in what Jesus has done for you. To appreciate God’s unfathomable ways, we need to look no further than the events of the Christmas story when His Son came to earth.
Bible says “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8: 20). Jesus was wealthy before He came into the world in terms of the relationship that He enjoyed in heaven with the Father. Jesus Christ In His perfect divinity and divine nature dwelt all the fullness of the Triune Godhead and in Whom resided all the glorious, infinite, eternal attributes of God in all their fullest measure. Our minds cannot conceive of the infinite riches of the eternal Son of God, in the majesty of His Pre-Cross existence.
All things were made by Him; all the riches of the earth, all the wealth of the sky, the treasures of the oceans, and the bountiful resources of the vast universe, all things were made by Him and all things were made for Him. All these unimaginable riches and the glories of His elevated heavenly status were laid aside simply because of His GRACE towards us. Grace is God's undeserved, unmerited goodness to us. All the inconceivable and vast riches of His glory were set aside for your sake and for mine and He stripped Himself of everything, becoming so poor that He did not even have a place to rest His head. Jesus is the eternal God, He was before all things, He was exalted and worshipped by all of the angels. He left all of this glory and the riches that are related to it to redeem you. Jesus had everything, yet He sacrificed it all to come to the earth and provide a way for people to renew their relationship with God. That alone is cause for celebration!
Though He was the Creator of the universe, He was born into a human race that had rebelled against their Creator. He came into a fallen world that was lying in the hands of the evil one, a world that was in bondage to the evil governance of Satan (a created being who rebelled against His Creator God), and the Son of God did all this for love of you and for love of me so that by His deep poverty we might become rich. When Jesus came to this world of sorrow and sin, humbling Himself and taking on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7,8). By coming to this earth, He willingly took a position in the flesh that made Him temporarily lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9). While in the flesh, He went through every form of temptation (Hebrews 4:14,15) and, as all people must, passed through physical death (Hebrews 9:27). Did Jesus do all of this for Self? Did He come to earth for His own personal glory? Absolutely not. Our text indicates that He did it for someone else. He had others in mind when He forfeited temporarily the glory and riches of heaven and intentionally became poor instead. Just for whom would He take such a great step? Answer: For you and me, but not for us only. Yea, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
All that He did, He did for us. Why? Because He wants us to be rich! The Rich became the Poor One in order that poor ones might become rich ones. Let that thought sink deep down in your heart. The Rich One became the Poor One, and the poor ones (spiritually bankrupt people – that describes you and me without Jesus!) might be blessed in a spiritual sense. And, what blessings we have in and through our Redeemer! We are so blessed! And not because we deserve it or because God is in debt to us. It is by God’s grace we are rich through the poverty of Jesus. May we never take for granted all that had to be done and sacrificed in order to make possible our spiritual wealth in Christ.
In the gospel of Luke, chapter 2, you can read the wonderful story of Christmas in much detail. Our Lord Jesus Christ is God’s most precious gift to the world. At Christmas, we are meant to share in this love of God. We are also called to share this love with our fellow human beings. St. John invites us to love one another, especially during this Christmas season:” Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8). Jesus is the essence of Christmas for maximum celebration. So, as we celebrate, we should remember that it is a time to appreciate God for sending His son for us. Also, it’s a time to examine our stand with God and our relationship with Jesus. Furthermore, it is a time to share God’s goodness and the good news with others.
Hence, the Christmas celebration is love in action! Christmas is a Celebration of Sharing: A time to visit the orphans, the prisoners, the refugees, and the Internally Displaced Persons. Christmas is a Celebration of Joy: As soon as our Lord Jesus Christ was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to a group of Shepherd and said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” The Christmas News is the best news on earth. It is the most joyful news the world has ever received. This joy is still fresh even in our world today. Christmas season remains the most joyful season.
Lord Jesus Christ is God’s most precious gift to the world. At Christmas, we are meant to share in this love of God. We are also called to share this love with our fellow human beings. St. John invites us to love one another, especially during this Christmas season:” Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8).
Christmas is a time to reflect on the Love of Christ. He gave up His crown, and comfort and endured the pain of the cross for us. When we are imbued with this love of God, we will always be willing to give a helping hand to those in need, to give succor and comfort to the vulnerable ones amongst us. Christmas is not just a time for festivity and merry-making. It is more than that. It is a time for the contemplation of eternal things. The Christmas spirit is a spirit of giving and forgiving.’ Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God. God has given each of us a gift that the Apostle Paul could not describe – He said “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15) it is the gift of grace, the gift of salvation. When Paul speaks of the gift God gave us when He gave His Son, he says “Jesus is a gift so good, so great, so wonderful that He really can’t be described.”
Take a moment to consider what you have in Jesus, and then praise God for His “indescribable gift”. For many, Christmas is just a time of celebration, party, presents, and family get-togethers. For believers, it should be a time of intense gratitude, love, compassion, thanksgiving, sharing our blessings with others, and worship. When we consider the “indescribable gift” God gave us when He sent His Son into the world, it should fill our hearts with praise, thanksgiving, and worship. Christmas comes true for us if we seek to follow Our Lord Jesus' path of love, compassion, sacrifice, and forgiveness. May the Christmas season bring new freshness, new hope, and new strength! May Lord Jesus Christ bless you! Happy Christmas.
