As I reflect upon 2011 I realise that it has been a busy year for almost everyone in the family. I am sure it has been a busy year for you too. Christmas is no exception as we frantically run around trying to finish our last minute preparations for the festive season. But just what is Christmas all about underneath all the colourful wrappings?
Well, to start off I believe Christmas is about the joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus. While we will never fully comprehend the mystery surrounding the birth of Christ, we none-the-less continue to marvel at the fact that God humbled Himself and was born in a cave. But the real question is why did He come to earth?
The Bible tells us that Jesus came to earth to set us free from the slavery of sin, to open our spiritual eyes to our spiritual need, to heal the broken hearted and most importantly to offer us forgiveness of sins and a way to restore our relationship with God. Just think about it that while medical science has found numerous ways to reduce and even remove pain there is still no real cure for a broken heart.
Jesus came to earth to lift up and restore those who are crushed by life (that would be the whole of mankind without exception). The Gospel of John reminds us that Jesus came so that you and I might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
In other words, He came to show us that there is more to life than what this world has to offer. The bottom line is He came to give His life for us. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
So in all of this hustle and bustle, wrapping paper, presents, and brightly coloured lights, let's get to the heart of Christmas. Christmas is about God the ultimate gift to mankind, about God sending His one and only begotten Son to die on a cross. He was born to die so that we might experience abundant life – to give us a life that is worth living here and now and that extends into eternity.
“Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water'” – John 4:10.