Christmas is by far one of the most celebrated events every year. But if you take a closer look at it, you will observe that many people who celebrate Christmas often forget one vital thing about it.
What is that one important thing people always miss out from the Christmas celebration? I will get to that in a moment. But first, let’s take a look at how people celebrate Christmas.
How do people celebrate Christmas?
Just like most people, I knew from childhood that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But the whole essence of celebrating it was lost on me until I grew older.
As far as I was concerned then, Christmas was mostly about my parents buying special clothes for me, eating favourite meals (usually richer than one would eat on ordinary days), visiting family and friends, and receiving gifts.
And of course, visiting Santa’s grotto. (By the way, as a child, there was a time I thought that Santa Claus came from Heaven. You see how ignorant I was?). You must now know that Christmas is not about Santa Claus. There is no Biblical foundation to think that he is.
There is nothing bad in themselves in sharing meals or giving gifts during Christmas but as I grew older I came to realise that Christmas is actually more than all those things combined.
Christmas is about Jesus, not about Santa Claus, not about anyone or anything else.
In our world today, many people have still not understood the true meaning of Christmas, the real essence of it. That is why the emphasis has been unduly placed on some practices that do not show the true essence of the celebration.
The missing link
The essence of Christmas is not found in the decoration of Christmas trees nor is it found in what has been termed commercial Christmas – the unwanton buying and selling that characterize the Christmas season.
The essence of Christmas is found in the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ. He was born to be the Saviour of the world!
Some people would rather not remember that while celebrating Christmas. How sad!
Reason for the birth of Jesus
The simple reason was born is to save us from the power of sin and its eternal consequence.
Before He was born by Mary, an angel had announced to Joseph the reason Jesus would be born. Let’s read Matthew’s account of the mission statement or life purpose of Jesus:
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NKJV
From the scripture above, we can see that at least three vital points were mentioned:
1. A son will be born. That Son has since been born – over two thousand years ago. So we use Christmas to commemorate the birthday of that Son.
2. The Son has a name, and it is Jesus. So Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus; Christmas is not the celebration of anyone else, or anything else.
3. The Son has a purpose he was born for – he will save his people from their sins. So at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the Person (Jesus) who was born to save us from our sins.
Conclusions
For you not to forget the vital point about Christmas:
- Understand that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- Understand that Jesus was born to save us from our sins.
- Understand that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.
- Understand that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Saviour.
If your concept of Christmas celebration is not rooted in the above Biblical foundation of celebrating Christmas as the celebration of the birth of the Saviour, understand that you definitely have been missing out on the true essence of Christmas celebration.
Christmas is about Jesus, not about Santa Claus, not about anyone or anything else.
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Victors Corner Blog 
Except for the teeny, tiny, points as follows:
That Jesus wan’t born on Dec 25th, Apollo the Sun God was, and Constantine was commemorating him by moving Jesus’ birthday to the day of the Sun God, thus allowing more pagans to sign up. We have no idea as to when Jesus was born but it MAY have been in the spring sometime.
If Jesus set out to “save us from our sins” then he did a pretty bad job of that. The world has never been so completely and totally full of sin as it is right now and it’s getting worse all the time. I don’t think I can remember a time where people weren’t as polarized and alienated from each other as they are right now.
And if Jesus’ was the savior of the world, exactly from what is he saving the world? Again, it’s certainly not sin. Nor is it from each other.
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You are right that Jesus wasn’t born on 25th December. If you noticed, I didn’t say anything in the post about the date of his birth.
What I’m concerned about is the fact that Jesus was born and the purpose he was born – to save people from the external consequence of sin.
As the Bible says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death.
Anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour is delivered from the eternal consequence of sin, which is total separation from God.
Yes, there is sin in the world because many people have not accepted Jesus. If they did, this world would be a better place.
Those who have accepted Jesus have restored relationship with God in the this World and in the world to come, when they die. That would not have been possible without Jesus birth, death and resurrection.
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