Christmas Is
The Christmas season rushes in each year with its familiar fanfare—shopping lists, party invitations, twinkling lights, and carefully wrapped packages. For many, it's a whirlwind of activity: traveling, entertaining, decorating, and celebrating. The season carries different meanings for different people. Some see it as a time for family gatherings, others as an opportunity for giving and receiving gifts, and still others as a magical season of wonder and dreams.
Yet amid all the busyness and celebration, a crucial question remains: What is the real meaning of Christmas?
While we all know the Christmas story—Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the star, the wise men—how do we distill the profound theological truth of Christmas into something simple enough to share in our daily interactions? How do we capture the essence of what John meant when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"?
The answer lies in perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture: John 3:16.
The greatest truth ever told is simply this: God loves the world. God loves you. This love stretches farther, reaches deeper, and extends wider than anything we can measure or comprehend. Paul prayed in Ephesians that believers would "have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge."
The world has been trying to understand love since the beginning of time. We've attempted to define it, describe it, and display it in countless ways. But only God has successfully accomplished all three.
Consider the different types of love we experience. A soldier might love his country or the comrade standing beside him—that's phileo love, brotherly love. It's meaningful but conditional. A man and woman marry because they love each other—that's eros love, intimate and emotional. Again, wonderful but conditional. Parents love their children with storge
‘love, a special familial bond. Yet even this has a cause and effect: you love that child because you birthed that child.
But why does God love us? The simple, stunning answer is: because He does.
God's love—agape love—is unconditional. We haven't done anything to earn it. It doesn't matter how many times you've attended church, how much you've given in offerings, how many prayers you've prayed, or how much charitable work you've done. You have done nothing to cause God to love you. He loves you for absolutely no reason at all.
Romans 5:8 declares, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Not when we became lovable. Not after we cleaned ourselves up. While we were yet unlovable, God loved us.
This is one of the greatest realizations you'll ever come to in your faith journey. When you grasp this single concept, everything else becomes clearer. We love because He first loved us. We don't have the capacity within our own character to truly love until we understand His love for us.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..." John 3:16, What a gift. What an incomprehensible sacrifice. God the Father sent His one and only Son into the world for one purpose: to die on a cross and pay the debt for our sins. And Jesus willingly left the splendor of heaven to be born into this broken world, to live as a man, to take all our suffering, shame, and guilt upon Himself as Romans 6:23 states.
During this time of year, we become consumed with gift buying and gift giving. We want our loved ones to have the best that money can buy. But at what cost? What are we sacrificing to purchase trinkets, electronics, and material possessions that will eventually break, wear out, or wind up donated to charity?
We would do well to learn from the greatest gift giver of all time—God—who gave His only Son, not for His own honor and glory, but because He wanted something money couldn't buy: time for His children to spend eternity with Him.
What is the most valuable thing in this world? Not precious stones or metals—those are still in the ground. Not money—they can always print more. Not material possessions—you can always buy more stuff. The most precious commodity in the world is time. They're not making it anymore. We all have a certain amount given to us from birth, though none of us knows exactly how much. It's limited, especially on this side of heaven. Moses teaches us in Psalm 90:12 to "number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." And what's the purpose of that wisdom? To know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior so we can all spend eternity with Him forever.
God gave us His most valuable possession so He could have the opportunity to spend more time with us.
There's a powerful story of sacrifice that illustrates this truth. A man named Jeffrey recounts a childhood accident when his family's car collided head-on with a drunk driver. He was five years old, sitting in his mother's lap. He doesn't remember the collision itself, but he vividly recalls waking up covered in blood—his mother's blood. In that split second when the headlights glared into her eyes, she instinctively pulled him closer and curled her body around his to take the brunt of the impact. Her body slammed into the dashboard. Her head shattered the windshield. She took the collision so he wouldn't have to.
In the same way, but infinitely more significant, Jesus Christ took the impact of our sin upon Himself so we could have more time with Him in eternity. No greater price has ever been paid.
"...that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Friends we must learn to lean on Jesus. We must believe in the Lord. We've all sinned, and we all need a Savior. Jesus will be our Savior if we believe in Him—but this means far more than intellectual agreement. It means believing with your whole heart, with all of your life.
The word "believe" in the original Greek is pistou, which literally means "to place all of your trust in." Believing in Jesus means:
* Believing in the miracle of Christmas—that Jesus was born of a virgin
* Believing that Jesus had no biological earthly father
* Believing that Jesus lived a sinless life and resisted all temptation
* Believing that He performed every miracle recorded in Scripture
* Believing that He died on a cross and shed His blood
* Believing that He rose from the dead three days later
* Believing that He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father
* Believing that the only way to eternal life is by faith alone in Christ alone
* Believing that one day He is coming back
Notice the verse doesn't just say "believe"—it says "believe in Him." It doesn't say "understand." We will never fully understand all that Jesus did or that God does. We're not meant to. Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Imagine receiving a beautifully wrapped box containing a key—a key to a valuable boat, a luxury car, an expensive home. The gift is yours. It's been given to you. It's sitting there, waiting. But what if you never pick up that box? What if you never unwrap it? What if you never open it to discover what's inside? Did you really receive the gift? The answer is no.
Many years ago, a man who couldn't swim and was terrified of water bought his wife a 27-foot offshore fishing boat. He didn't know how to drive a boat, couldn't back a trailer, didn't even know how to start the engine. But he gave this extravagant gift because he loved his wife and knew she loved being on the water.
When she opened that box on Christmas morning and found the key, her confusion turned to joy. And through the years, despite the challenges and learning curves, the memories created on that boat became priceless. The joy of giving that gift sustained him for the rest of his life. But those memories only existed because she took the key out of the box. She received the gift. She opened her heart to the experience.
In the same way, God has given you the greatest gift you will ever receive. But to experience it, you must open it. You must unwrap your present and receive His presence.
That’s what Christmas is.
Dr. Christopher Young
Yet amid all the busyness and celebration, a crucial question remains: What is the real meaning of Christmas?
While we all know the Christmas story—Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the star, the wise men—how do we distill the profound theological truth of Christmas into something simple enough to share in our daily interactions? How do we capture the essence of what John meant when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"?
The answer lies in perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture: John 3:16.
The greatest truth ever told is simply this: God loves the world. God loves you. This love stretches farther, reaches deeper, and extends wider than anything we can measure or comprehend. Paul prayed in Ephesians that believers would "have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge."
The world has been trying to understand love since the beginning of time. We've attempted to define it, describe it, and display it in countless ways. But only God has successfully accomplished all three.
Consider the different types of love we experience. A soldier might love his country or the comrade standing beside him—that's phileo love, brotherly love. It's meaningful but conditional. A man and woman marry because they love each other—that's eros love, intimate and emotional. Again, wonderful but conditional. Parents love their children with storge
‘love, a special familial bond. Yet even this has a cause and effect: you love that child because you birthed that child.
But why does God love us? The simple, stunning answer is: because He does.
God's love—agape love—is unconditional. We haven't done anything to earn it. It doesn't matter how many times you've attended church, how much you've given in offerings, how many prayers you've prayed, or how much charitable work you've done. You have done nothing to cause God to love you. He loves you for absolutely no reason at all.
Romans 5:8 declares, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Not when we became lovable. Not after we cleaned ourselves up. While we were yet unlovable, God loved us.
This is one of the greatest realizations you'll ever come to in your faith journey. When you grasp this single concept, everything else becomes clearer. We love because He first loved us. We don't have the capacity within our own character to truly love until we understand His love for us.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..." John 3:16, What a gift. What an incomprehensible sacrifice. God the Father sent His one and only Son into the world for one purpose: to die on a cross and pay the debt for our sins. And Jesus willingly left the splendor of heaven to be born into this broken world, to live as a man, to take all our suffering, shame, and guilt upon Himself as Romans 6:23 states.
During this time of year, we become consumed with gift buying and gift giving. We want our loved ones to have the best that money can buy. But at what cost? What are we sacrificing to purchase trinkets, electronics, and material possessions that will eventually break, wear out, or wind up donated to charity?
We would do well to learn from the greatest gift giver of all time—God—who gave His only Son, not for His own honor and glory, but because He wanted something money couldn't buy: time for His children to spend eternity with Him.
What is the most valuable thing in this world? Not precious stones or metals—those are still in the ground. Not money—they can always print more. Not material possessions—you can always buy more stuff. The most precious commodity in the world is time. They're not making it anymore. We all have a certain amount given to us from birth, though none of us knows exactly how much. It's limited, especially on this side of heaven. Moses teaches us in Psalm 90:12 to "number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." And what's the purpose of that wisdom? To know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior so we can all spend eternity with Him forever.
God gave us His most valuable possession so He could have the opportunity to spend more time with us.
There's a powerful story of sacrifice that illustrates this truth. A man named Jeffrey recounts a childhood accident when his family's car collided head-on with a drunk driver. He was five years old, sitting in his mother's lap. He doesn't remember the collision itself, but he vividly recalls waking up covered in blood—his mother's blood. In that split second when the headlights glared into her eyes, she instinctively pulled him closer and curled her body around his to take the brunt of the impact. Her body slammed into the dashboard. Her head shattered the windshield. She took the collision so he wouldn't have to.
In the same way, but infinitely more significant, Jesus Christ took the impact of our sin upon Himself so we could have more time with Him in eternity. No greater price has ever been paid.
"...that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Friends we must learn to lean on Jesus. We must believe in the Lord. We've all sinned, and we all need a Savior. Jesus will be our Savior if we believe in Him—but this means far more than intellectual agreement. It means believing with your whole heart, with all of your life.
The word "believe" in the original Greek is pistou, which literally means "to place all of your trust in." Believing in Jesus means:
* Believing in the miracle of Christmas—that Jesus was born of a virgin
* Believing that Jesus had no biological earthly father
* Believing that Jesus lived a sinless life and resisted all temptation
* Believing that He performed every miracle recorded in Scripture
* Believing that He died on a cross and shed His blood
* Believing that He rose from the dead three days later
* Believing that He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father
* Believing that the only way to eternal life is by faith alone in Christ alone
* Believing that one day He is coming back
Notice the verse doesn't just say "believe"—it says "believe in Him." It doesn't say "understand." We will never fully understand all that Jesus did or that God does. We're not meant to. Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Imagine receiving a beautifully wrapped box containing a key—a key to a valuable boat, a luxury car, an expensive home. The gift is yours. It's been given to you. It's sitting there, waiting. But what if you never pick up that box? What if you never unwrap it? What if you never open it to discover what's inside? Did you really receive the gift? The answer is no.
Many years ago, a man who couldn't swim and was terrified of water bought his wife a 27-foot offshore fishing boat. He didn't know how to drive a boat, couldn't back a trailer, didn't even know how to start the engine. But he gave this extravagant gift because he loved his wife and knew she loved being on the water.
When she opened that box on Christmas morning and found the key, her confusion turned to joy. And through the years, despite the challenges and learning curves, the memories created on that boat became priceless. The joy of giving that gift sustained him for the rest of his life. But those memories only existed because she took the key out of the box. She received the gift. She opened her heart to the experience.
In the same way, God has given you the greatest gift you will ever receive. But to experience it, you must open it. You must unwrap your present and receive His presence.
That’s what Christmas is.
Dr. Christopher Young
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