“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
“Those little arms in the manger will one day grapple with the monster ‘death’ and will destroy it.” – Charles Spurgeon
“How proper it is that Christmas should follow Advent. For him who looks toward the future, the manger is situated on Golgotha, and the cross is already been raised in Bethlehem.” – Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary General of the United Nations
The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.
Christmas is not the beginning. In order to understand the meaning of Christmas you have to go back to the beginning. You have to go back to Genesis.
To capture the full meaning of Christmas, you have to go to Good Friday and Easter.
Christmas is not the complete story of God’s saving work. For that, you have to go to Revelation.
- God created the world and declared it good
- But sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve
- Sin ushered in death for all
- God could not imagine an eternity without you in it
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in him will have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
The purpose of Christmas is fulfilled in Easter.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ final thoughts were before he drew his last breath on the cross? The final thought that Jesus had on the cross was you. You! You are the reason for Christmas and Easter. You were the last thing Jesus had in mind before he drew his last breath on the cross.
“Father, look. I present to you James, Brad, Bill, Nichole, Patsy, etc. Here’s another one.”
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Thank you, Jesus!
Merry Christmas!
Praxis: Faith in Action 