Christmas. The very word lights up our hearts with joy, doesn’t it? There’s something about this season that fills the air with excitement and wonder. The lights, the tree, the gifts, and all the cozy traditions we look forward to every year—Christmas is a time for celebration!
But let's pause for a minute and ask, What’s it really all about? Beyond the carols, the stockings, and the shopping—what’s the reason for all this festive cheer?
Let's take a closer look and rediscover why we celebrate, who we’re celebrating, and what this Great Manifestation of love means for our lives. From the joy of the season to the profound truth behind it, let’s unwrap the ultimate gift together.
So grab a cup of cocoa, find a cozy spot, and let’s dive into the true meaning of Christmas—the story of hope, love, and redemption. It’s a celebration you’ll never forget!
1. ‘Tis the Season: The Star, the Tree, and All Things Merry
Don’t we all LOVE the Christmas season?
The carols, the giving and receiving of gifts, setting up the Christmas tree, the Christmas indoor and outdoor lights, the Christmas stockings, filling them up with exciting little gifts and presents, planning for family and friends dinners and gatherings.
Christmas dinner recipes, Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses, kids on holidays off of school, movie nights and popcorn in comfy Christmas pajamas!
Don’t forget the Christmas nails and festive outfits.
What else, have I missed anything?! The shopping! Don’t you forget THAT! Gift shopping for our family and friends, and taking advantage of amazing Black Friday and Boxing day sales!
It’s all part of the excitement and joy this season brings.
But for what? Why do we do all this? What’s the reason behind it all?
2. The Reason for the Season: The Great Manifestation of Love
Through all the festivities and traditions, it’s so easy to forget what—or rather, WHO—we’re celebrating here!
Is it Santa Claus, Rudolph, or little elves on shelves? Is it St. Nicholas? Is it the tree, the gifts, the décor, or the star on top?
Who is the STAR of the show?
It’s the birthday of a TRUE Star, a Baby. The ONLY Baby who existed before He was born.
It is the One True God who has existed since the very beginning
Jesus, the Son of God, was there from the beginning. Before He was born, He already WAS!
Son of God and Son of man
He decided to become a human baby and have an earthly mother. He experienced and knows what it is to have a mother, He felt the love of a mother, not that He needs it.
Jesus didn’t skip the hard parts of life. He became a dependent baby, learning to walk, talk, and navigate the ups and downs of childhood. Imagine Him growing through every stage—scraped knees, learning new skills, and even helping Joseph with carpentry. I sometimes wonder, did He ever hammer His finger while learning the trade? Maybe. Did He fall while running as a little boy? Perhaps.
As a teenager, Jesus was already into books and knew a lot about the Torah and the Law - knowledge which astonished the priests, Pharisees and scribes in the temple. Instead of playing with kids at His age, His divine being had a more glorious agenda. Do you think maybe kids saw that this Jesus was different? Maybe even made fun of Him? We know how cruel some kids could be. Perhaps, these were little experiences of the rejection and hatred He would eventually face as an adult!
Jesus lived through the normal ups and downs of life. He didn’t just come to observe us—He came to be with us.
From the manger to the cross, He chose to experience humanity fully.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it… This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.”
3. From Eden to the Cross: The Ultimate Reason
So we know the season. We know the reason. But what is the reason for God's incarnation? Why would the all-powerful, ever-existing God, decide to become one of us?
SIN is the reason
God is perfect and just. Sin cannot exist in His presence. And because of this, the consequence of sin is death—not just physical death, but eternal separation from God in hell.
Without intervention, we were lost. But God didn’t leave us in our hopeless state.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23
Love Is the Solution
God’s love was so great, so overwhelming, that He chose to manifest Himself in the flesh—not to rule as a king (though He could have done that effortlessly and perfectly)—but to lay down His life.
Jesus was born for one reason: the cross!
“Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” John 18:37
The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
"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
The cross wasn’t a backup plan; it was the mission. From the very beginning, God’s plan was to rescue us from sin’s grip through the ultimate act of love.
God’s love is so immense that He gave His only Son to save us. This is the heart of Christmas—love born in a manger, destined for a cross.
From Eden to Redemption
The story of Christmas begins in Eden, where sin entered the world, and it stretches all the way to Calvary, where Jesus declared, “It is finished.” Christmas isn’t just about celebrating His birth—it’s about remembering the reason He came: to defeat sin, destroy the works of the devil, and restore our relationship with God.
That’s the ultimate reason for Christmas. It’s not just about a Baby in a manger—it’s about the Savior on the cross. A gift of love beyond comprehension.
Imagine Mary: Mother of the Perfect Child
Okay, moms, let’s take a moment here. Have you ever wondered what it was like for Mary to raise the perfect, sinless child?
Picture baby Jesus crawling and mother Mary saying, “No!”—and He listens the first time! No tantrums, no bedtime battles. Jesus played kindly with His siblings, always respectful and patient. everything we could ever WISH our kids could be - THAT was Jesus!
I almost envy her! No one, other than Mary, will ever experience what it’s like to raise a truly perfect child. And that’s okay—because we love our kids just as they are, with all their quirks and imperfections.
But then, I think about the unimaginable pain Mary endured. This same perfect child—her firstborn, the sinless Son of God—was later hung on a tree. What must she have felt as she stood at the foot of the cross, watching the One she carried, nursed, and raised suffer such a brutal death?
The sadness, the hopelessness, the despair—it’s hard to comprehend. Yet through it all, Mary trusted. She believed that the God who had announced His miraculous plan for her would carry it through to perfection, even when it seemed impossible to understand.
The child she loved and cared for became the Savior of the world—a gift of love that continues to bring hope to all of us.
4. A Reason for Hope: The Gift of a Future
This season isn’t just about doom and gloom—sin, death, and hopelessness.
No! Christmas is about the ONE HOPE that changes everything.
This Great Manifestation, the birth of Jesus Christ, is the ultimate hope for all of humanity.
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Timothy 3:16
Only one blessed woman in history was chosen to be the earthly mother of God incarnate—Mary. What an honor! But here’s something even more incredible: through Jesus, we’re offered the experience of having God as our Father!
And THIS is the promise we’ve received!
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
Not only that, as if this wasn’t amazing enough.
But God manifests Himself in us!
“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10–14
Conclusion
Unwrapping the True Gift of Christmas
Christmas is so much more than the lights, the gifts, and the festive traditions we love. It’s a celebration of the greatest story ever told—the story of God’s incredible love for us.
Through the birth of Jesus, we find hope, love, and the promise of a future. From the manger to the cross, His life was a gift—a gift that brings light into our darkest moments and joy into our hearts.
This season, as you gather with loved ones, bake those cookies, and enjoy the sparkle of Christmas lights, take a moment to reflect on the reason behind it all. Celebrate the Baby who came to save us, the Savior who laid down His life for us, and the Father who loves us beyond measure.
Let this Christmas be a reminder of the ultimate gift—the love of God, wrapped in humanity, and offered freely to you.
Merry Christmas! May your season be filled with joy, hope, and the peace that only Jesus can bring.
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