Nov 26, 2018
Jesus is the perfect gift given to us.
It’s up to us to choose how we will receive this gift,
how we will celebrate it, and how we will share it with others.
By Pastor Scott Hausrath
A season of opportunities is the Christmas season. Every year our society hands us some wonderful opportunities to glorify Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons. One is college football, which is my favorite sport. The college football season gives us some wonderful opportunities to connect with people and share together an exciting activity.
Another season of opportunities is the Christmas season. Every year our society hands us some wonderful opportunities to glorify Jesus and invite others to draw closer to Him. Many of us, for example, are invited to company Christmas parties, neighborhood holiday receptions, school winter musicals, etc. All of these events provide us a natural platform for sharing with people what the “Christ” in the word “Christmas” is all about. Are you taking advantage of these opportunities?
The key word here is opportunity. We often discuss what Christmas is, or what it is not, but we have an opportunity to take a “bigger picture” perspective here. For example, some people decide not to celebrate Christmas because of its pagan origins. The bigger picture, however, is this: Christmas is what we make it. During the Christmas season we have the freedom to worship pagan gods, if we so choose, and some people do make this choice. However, we also have the freedom to worship the one true God and to celebrate the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. If we celebrate the birth of Jesus as a family, we caninvite others to join our celebration and in this way help them to see the true significance of Christmas.
Some people say that the actual date of Jesus’ birth is not specified in Scripture and they point to the research of many scholars who say that Jesus was definitely not born on December 25. They refuse to celebrate Christmas, therefore, because it’s actually celebrating a lie. The bigger picture, however, is this: Many of us acknowledge that we don’t know the date of Jesus’ birth, so we don’t claim December 25 as Jesus’ birthdate. December 25 is a date on which we celebrate Jesus’ birth, no matter when it actually occurred. What’s important about His birth is not its date, but its actuality. This is why God didn’t tell us exactly when Jesus was born; He just told us that Jesus was born. What we celebrate on December 25, therefore, is the fact that God came into this world in human form to rescue us from our sin. What matters is not when Jesus appeared, but that He appeared.
Some people say that we should not participate in the traditions of Christmas because they are heathen practices. Sometimes they object, for example, to having a Christmas tree. The bigger picture, however, is this: Christmas traditions are a wonderful platform for sharing our faith in God. We can invite our neighbors into our homes to join us in decorating our Christmas tree. We can invite them to help us put up our nativity scene. We can invite them to join us in making our favorite Christmas cookies. Including our neighbors in traditions that hold special meaning for us pulls down some of the barriers between us and fosters the deepening of our relationships with each other. If we intentionally love our neighbors in ways like this throughout the year, we can more easily and more naturally share with them who Jesus is and how He can make a difference in their lives.
Some people say that Christmas is too commercial, that its real meaning has been lost because it’s being driven by retailers. I say once again that Christmas is what we make it. We can choose to focus our efforts on giving the perfect gift, or we can choose to acknowledge that the perfect gift has already been given. Jesus is that perfect gift which has been given to us. It’s up to us to choose how we will receive this gift, how we will celebrate it, and how we will share it with others.
May God deeply bless you and your precious family this Christmas season as you faithfully respond to the opportunities He entrusts to you.Jesus and invite others to draw closer to Him. Are you taking advantage of these opportunities?