These four ideas are much of what Christmas is about.
Christmas is about hope.
What is hope? Hope is about expectation and desire. To have hope is to have confident expectation something is going to happen. Christian hope is about confidence and faith. When we say our hope is in Christ, we are not only saying we want something to happen, we confidently expect something to happen. We have faith that something will happen. What is our hope in Christ? What is that something? Salvation and eternal life.
We celebrate Christmas because with the birth of Christ we were given hope. The hope of eternal life. The hope of reconciliation with God. The hope of salvation.Without the birth of our Savior, we would have very little hope indeed. We would be lost in our sins, and spiritually dead. With Christ, we have the hope of life eternal.
This is how Paul presented this idea to the Christians in Rome. “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:12-13.
Christmas is about preparation.
This is our third week talking about preparing for Christmas. We talked about how Joseph and Mary prepared for that first Christmas, and what that means for us. Christmas is not to be taken lightly. It is not something to go into blindly. Christmas is serious, and serious matters deserve serious preparation.
God prepared the world for that first Christmas with a series of events and people. One of those people was John the Baptist. As Luke wrote about him, “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.‘ Luke 3:4-6.
Prepare the way for the Lord. All mankind will see God's salvation. That's what preparing for Christmas is all about.
Christmas is about joy.
This is the message an angel of God brought to some shepherds keeping watch outside Bethlehem that night long ago. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11.
News of great joy for all the people. A Savior has been born. Our Savior! What greater joy could there be? Christmas is to be celebrated! Celebrated with great joy and elation. Salvation has come! Our Rescuer has arrived! We should receive Christmas like a drowning man receives a lifeline. With overflowing joy!
Christmas is about love.
For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Christ came because of God's love. God gave of His Son, of Himself, because He loves us. That baby in a manger was there because of love. Not the love of Mary, nor Joseph, but God. God's love for us. For me. For you. God loves you.
That is what Christmas is about. God's love for you and for me.
As you get ready for Christmas this week, remember that we are celebrating our Savior come as a babe in the flesh. Our hope, our joy, and the love of God wrapped up in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.
That's what Christmas is about.
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