“Something
About Christmas Time”
by Trevor Thomas
December 24, 2009
An old pop-music song about
Christmas goes, “There’s something about Christmas time, something about
Christmas time that makes you wish it was Christmas everyday…” Now, most folks
know why Christmas is celebrated, but as the author of the previous lyrics
implies, the real reason is being lost, forgotten, ignored, or simply denied.
Many in the world today have put their own spin on what is special about
Christmas. This should come as no surprise. Christmas is associated with time
off from work or school, the giving/receiving of gifts, large gatherings with
friends and family (accompanied by great feasts), as much as it is with the
birth of Jesus, so what’s not to love? So what if you don’t believe in what/why
Christmas is celebrated; you can still have a great time.
Governments, in the name of “separation of church and state,” and many private
institutions, in the name of “tolerance,” have removed many direct references
to Christmas. “Merry Christmas” has become “Happy Holidays;” Christmas trees
are now “Community trees;” Christmas carols are now “winter carols,” and so on.
Nowadays phrases like “spirit of Christmas,” “spirit of giving,” “magic of
Christmas,” are very prevalent in our culture. What do these mean?
One author I read recently describes the “hidden meaning” of Christmas as: “(a)
festival of the human heart. It is a time of year when all
the universe conspires to raise the vibratory level of consciousness on
earth to one of peace and love toward ourselves and one another. This season
resonates to the sweet, childlike innocence that resides in all of us. A time when the heavenly forces inspire us to shift our focus away
from fear and toward one of joy, and healing.” Huh?!
Movies, music, poetry, and other forms of expression have attempted to inform
us of what the “true meaning of Christmas" is. A cartoon we watched
recently described “friendship” as what Christmas is all about. Other secular
productions portray Christmas as a celebration of love, generosity, kindness,
joy, peace, family, and so on. These, of course, are wonderful things, but none
of them alone reveals the true meaning of Christmas.
“And it came to pass in those days...”, So begins the
real story of Christmas: The story of God’s incarnation in the birth of His Son
Jesus Christ. But Christians celebrating Christmas are celebrating more than
just a birthday. Christians believe, as C.S. Lewis put it, that Christmas is
the story of how “the rightful king has landed.”
Just prior to His death, as Jesus stood before Pilate, the Roman governor,
Pilate asked Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” After some discussion Pilate
concludes to Jesus, “You are a king, then!” Jesus answered him saying, “You are
right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this
I came into the world…”
But He was not just any king; He was a king with a holy mission. “Amazing love,
how can it be, that you my King would die for me?” Jesus was the Christ, the
“Messiah,” the “Anointed One.” As the angel reported to the shepherds, “today
in the town of
His death was to “redeem” us, and to serve as “atonement” for us. Jesus came
into the world so that the world, through Him, “might be saved.” And on the
third day after his death, our King, born in a stable, conquered even death so
that we could live forever with Him.
When Christians truly celebrate Christmas, we celebrate not just a birthday,
but the beginning of a sequence of events that would change the world forever.
He was born, He lived, He died, He arose, and now He is preparing a place for
all of those who believe in Him. Just as sure as all of the other events took
place, we who celebrate Christmas look forward to His return and we will
celebrate for all eternity.
Just before handing Him over for crucifixion, Pilate asked the crowd, “What
shall I do, then, with Jesus…?” That is the ultimate question that each of us
must answer, and Christmas provides us with the beginning of the answer.
Have a truly merry Christmas.
Copyright 2009, Trevor Grant Thomas