Why Is Christmas So Important?

Why Is Christmas So Important ?

The commercialism of the Christmas season continues to grow with each passing year playing to our wants and desires increasingly pushing Jesus out of the picture. So what are we as Christians supposed to do? Stop celebrating Christmas because Jesus no longer appears to be the reason for the season as some have? No!

The day is still called CHRIST - mas. Carols are still sung of His birth and can be heard through most mall sound systems. Christmas needs to be looked at differently, with an eternal perspective. To the Body of Christ, Easter is perhaps the most dear and sacred of days. Jesus rose from the dead three days after He died as a sin offering for the sins of the world. Important because if there was no resurrection there would be no Christianity and as Paul says , "your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17, NASB). But what of His birth and the effect that had on the entire world. For me Easter means nothing without Christmas. Jesus was born to die for our sin and be raised from the dead for our justification (Romans 4:25). Christmas' meaning then becomes more significant, for without the birth of Jesus we would not be redeemed either. It was His unique birth which brought a unique life. Because of the virgin birth He did not have the sin nature as we all have, but one free from the effect of the fall. This allowed him to live a life wholly without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15) in obedience to the Father. As a result of this Jesus could be the lamb without spot or blemish to be offered up for man's sin (Hebrews 9:13-15). Linking these two events will help us gain a greater understanding of who our Lord truly was and is. For instance the Gifts of the Magi represent who they understood the Baby Jesus was and would become…….

Luke Chapter 2

…..The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold is meant to portray how Jesus is a "King" since He stems from the line of King David; Frankincense is something Jewish priests use during temple ceremonies, and hence stands for Jesus as the "mediator" between God the Father and His people. Also this could be said to foreshadow His sacrifice on the cross as an "offering" for the forgiveness of our sins; Lastly, Myrrh is used to embalm the dead during Jesus' time, and like what was mentioned above, it symbolizes Jesus dying on the cross for the salvation of mankind.

Maybe we should be hearing more sermons on the birth of Jesus at Easter, more sermons on the resurrection at Christmas

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)."

Matthew 1:23, ESV

Joy to the world ... the Lord is come!"

We wish you a Merry Christmas ... time to celebrate our Savior's birth and reflect on His great grace in our lives ... and a blessed New Year!