For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given... Isaiah 9:6 KJV
It’s that time of year again. The festivities are in full swing. Concerts and parties are being attended, gifts are being bought and wrapped. Trees and houses are being decorated. For many people, this is the “most wonderful time of the year.” For others, though, it can be a time of loneliness or even sorrow.
For some reason the Christmas season is a very emotional time. I see this everywhere. Many adults want to re-live their childhood years of excitement and gift giving. Others are hurting over a missing loved one. Some are looking forward to getting together with friends and family that they haven’t seen in a while, and yet others are lonely with no one to come and visit.
Even the celebration itself brings a variety of opinions of what to do with it. A lot of people have decided that because this season brings about negative emotions, we should abandon it altogether. Many Christians believe that Christmas comes from pagan roots, so we should also forget about it. Others think we should embrace it and enjoy the fun. Most probably celebrate it because everybody else does.
So, what’s the conclusion? Is this a good holiday or a bad one?
I remember as a young child during this time, I could hardly wait to open my gifts. But after they were all open, there was still this emptiness or desire for more. What promised to be fulfilling only left me disappointed.
I think this is true for a lot of people. I’ve seen it on the faces of young kids as they are opening gifts. When finished, they’re always looking around to see if there is just one more. It was obvious that the satisfaction they were supposed to have really wasn’t there.
But guess what? There is a solution! Frankly, I believe that this is a good holiday that has lost its way. Christmas should be every day, but it doesn’t hurt to put an emphasis on it as a holiday.
The problem that we have is that the emphasis has been forgotten. We’ve all seen the signs that read, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” And it’s true. But unfortunately most of the people celebrating it don’t know Jesus, and the ones that do, put Him on the backburner even if they try not to. (I have to admit, I’m in the second category a lot of the time.) That’s why it’s a letdown.
But it doesn’t have to be. When Jesus becomes our real and true focus, then those hurting, or mourning, or lonely can have the same joy as those who aren’t.
So let’s take a look at the Son who was given to us and who is the object of our celebration at Christmas. What does God call Him in the Bible?
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
And
They shall call His name Immanuel,” which is being interpreted, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23b
All these names are in addition to His name Jesus. When we read these verses, they very clearly tell us that when God gave us a son, He gave us all of Himself. God actually gave us the trinity! He gave us the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at the names:
Wonderful Counselor – Do you know what the description of the Holy Spirit is? He is called our Helper who guides us into all the truth. The Holy Spirit is our spiritual counselor. God gave us the Holy Spirit!
Mighty God – God gave us Himself!
Everlasting Father – God gave us the Father!
Prince of Peace – Who is known as the Prince of Peace? It’s Jesus Christ. God gave us the Son!
Here is a description of Jesus in the Bible:
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Colossians 2:9
These names and descriptions help us to understand what Jesus means when He says that He abides in the Father and the Father abides in Him. We can also understand when He tells one of His disciples that whoever has seen Him, has seen the Father. You can find these in the Gospel of John. That’s where the description of the Holy Spirit is also.
When we begin to realize what God did for us, we can be blown away by His love for us. God our Creator gave us everything He could possibly give to us. Being sure of this cancels out the dismay of the things of this world.
We have a hope beyond anything imaginable!
In order to grasp this, we have to believe it. When we see those signs that only read, “believe," here’s what we can believe and hold on to: Whatever this life throws at us, we have a hope that this is not the end all and that God is with us—Immanuel.
God didn’t come to this world just for us to have a good life here. That would be the most dissatisfying thing ever because this life with all its happiness is fleeting and temporary. That’s why we’re like kids who look around for that one last gift.
God came to save us from this corrupted world. He came to save us from the dissatisfaction, loneliness, mourning, sorrow, pain, temporary happiness, and everything else that comes with life. But with all that, God came to save us from our sin.
The corruption of this world extends to us. Every single one of us has sinned. The Holy and Just God cannot over look this. And because He can’t over look it, He solved the problem by taking our just punishment. That is why Jesus came. He came to die so we could live. His resurrection from death defeated it and gave us life!
This is the celebration of Christmas. It should be our main focus throughout the season. When we re-focus for these few weeks, we can then form a habit to remember our God and what He did for us every day.
But guess what? There’s even more to this season! On top of all this we have another reason to celebrate. When we meditate on God who came to save us, we can also know that our God is coming again! He is coming to make everything new and perfect and right.
I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away. Revelation 21:3-4
Now that’s the perfect Christmas! I don’t think I could wish for anything better.
With all this in mind, I wish you the merriest Christmas ever!
He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:2
