What's it all about? From the songs, decorations, and ads, you'd think the holiday was all about family, food, and receiving a boatload of gifts. You'd think the important players were Santa (a.k.a. Saint Nick), Rudolph, Frosty, and a lot of elves.
You'd never guess that Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays in the entire history of the world.
Everything started when God created time and space, populating it with stars and planets and creatures. The high point of creation was making human beings, and Genesis tells us that God would walk with Adam and Eve every day - until that fateful day when they chose to distrust God's intentions and learn about good and evil.
God, who lives outside of space-time, chose to enter his creation and spend time with his creatures because he loved them. When they sinned, God, who cannot bear the presence of sin, gave up his daily walks with Adam and Eve. But he had a plan that would fix everything.
God would take on human flesh and live among us, first as a fetus within Mary's womb, later as a child, and finally as a teacher, redeemer, and lord. God, who once walked in Eden, spent 30 years inside creation as a creature. God, in the person of Jesus, rubbed shoulders with sinners, told them of God's love, condemned fakers, and never sinned. Through his life and death, he broke the power of sin (defined as doing what pleases us rather than what pleases God) and made it possible for humans throughout history to live in a right relationship with their Creator.
The purpose behind Christmas isn't receiving loot or spending time with family; it is recognizing the lengths to which a God who is love is willing to go to demonstrate that love to selfish people. Jesus came from heaven and took on human flesh with all the limitations of a baby - totally dependent on others to feed him, comfort him, and change his diapers. The God who made the cosmos emptied himself and became one of us to the point of accepting execution for a crime he didn't commit - all because he loves us and doesn't want our selfish pride to come between us.
The story of Christmas is the story of God invading history to liberate those held captive by sin. God offers us a gift of new life that nothing in the mall can hold a candle to. All we have to do is receive it.
Therein lies the rub. To receive this gift, we need to empty our hands of pride. We can know about the gift and see the gift and create wonderful theologies about the gift, but we cannot accept the gift until we make room for it. We cannot live in a right relationship with God as long as we place our desires ahead of God's.
We were created by a God who is love so that we could be loved, and we are loved whether we accept this gift or not.
We live in a broken, messed up world, and we have learned distrust from childhood. Because we are surrounded by sin and infused by selfisness, we live in fear of others and of God. We want what we want, and we'll do whatever is necessary to get it, taking it by force or subjecting ourselves to others so our needs will be met.
Despite millenia of legalistic religious teachings, God does not hate us and is not out to condemn us for breaking his rules. He loves and and wants us to love him. If we don't, then we have chosen hell.
There is nothing we can do to earn God's love. Following his rules perfectly won't earn us anything. God will never love us more or less regardless of what we do, but if we don't come to him - if we turn our backs on God, we have chosen our path.
God loves us and demonstrated that love in Jesus. He asks us one question: Do you trust me?
God calls us into the freedom of trusting his love and his plan for our lives. He promises that good will even come through the bad things that happen to those who love him. He asks us to put aside our agenda, spend time conversing with him, and live a life that reflects the love he has given us.
If you have learned to trust God, you have already received the most valuable present.
If you haven't yet chosen to trust God, know that God is love, that he knows and loves you no matter what choices you may have made, and that he wants to be in a relationship with you for the rest of your life.
God doesn't insist that we live perfectly to merit salvation - or that we live perfectly because we have received salvation. He calls us to live honestly, to own up to our mistakes, to reflect the grace he has shown us, and to know a deep and lasting peace that will keep us rooted every day.
Santa and Rudolph and Frosty and presents under the tree are nice things, but knowing the love and peace to be found in trusting God makes them pale in comparison. May you know the grace of God this holiday season!
