Christmas: Its a Miracle

We are now half way through the Advent Season. All around us are the trappings of Christmas - brightly lit trees gleam in the darkness of the cold winter evenings, bells ring beside red Salvation Army kettles informing us that many will be without a Christmas unless we respond, and everywhere people are rushing too and fro looking for that "perfect" gift. For those of us who live in the northern climes, the ground has its first dusting of snow and the temperatures have plunged to the near-zero range. It certainly begins to feel like Christmas.

But what is Christmas? This is the season of the year that rings so hollow for many. Psychologists inform us that December ranks among the highest months of the year for suicides. Depression grips the hearts of countless others. Where is the joy? Where is the peace? Are we missing something?

I believe the answer is "yes, we are!" We are missing Jesus. We get so caught up in all that happens at the Christmas Season that we forget the reason why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Without Jesus, guess what?; there would be no Christmas. If there is no incarnation, there is no reason to light the trees, ring the bells, or shop for that "perfect" gift. Without the incarnation, the line from C. S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" rings true: "It is always winter and never Christmas!"

I know it is not Christmas just yet, but I would like to share my favorite Christmas verse with you. We live in a world that is daily filled with news that, at times, turns our stomach and causes our blood to boil. But let me share some good news. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Friends, this is perhaps the greatest text on the incarnation of Jesus we have in the Bible. But, in order to more fully understand it, we need to go back to the very first verse of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." You got that? Hard to comprehend, isn't it? The first two parts are easy to understand: fact #1 - there was the Word in the beginning; fact #2 - this Word was alongside of God. But it is that third fact - the Word was not only equal with God, but was in fact God - that really causes our minds to spin.

Then John shares that this Word - who was God - became flesh; He became a man. God became a man. Not just a man, but a baby! I have often wondered what Joseph thought as he cradled the baby Jesus in his arms, knowing that he held the God of the universe. But now that God needed to be fed. He needed to have His diapers changed. He probably cried when hungry, perhaps keeping Joseph and Mary from sleep. God became a baby! Can you fully imagine that thought? The One who spoke the worlds into existence now needed to learn how to speak. The One who had crafted everything with His almighty hands now learned how to sharpen a saw-blade and to drive a nail. Amazing, isn't it?

But there was a reason for this incarnation. It was not just so God could experience what it was like to be a man. No, God took upon Himself flesh as the only way in which to reach a lost mankind with His love. He had tried the impersonal way through sacrifices and regulations, but those had failed. Now He came to show love with the greatest demonstration coming at the cross.

Yes, without Christ there is no Christmas. It is sad that for many this is a holiday, but it is not Christmas!