I Love Christmas!

I love Christmas. It’s probably my favorite season of the entire year. I love the long winter evenings. I love watching classic Christmas movies, such as White Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life. I enjoy sitting by the fire and reading Christmas stories. I love sweaters and hot chocolate and sitting at the piano singing Christmas carols. There’s a song I’ve heard a few times this season called “Christmas Around the World” which talks about traditions in different countries - a reminder of the varied ways in which everyone celebrates the holiday. We all have things we love at this time of year, but Christmas is about so much more. It’s about the God of the universe who loved us so much that He came to live as a human, stripped of His honor and majesty, to die the death of a criminal; and finally to conquer death once and for all, offering us hope beyond the grave. The story of Christmas is the story of the gospel. And the amazing thing about it is that people all over the world are thinking about it at this time of year.

Consider that for a moment. When else is there a time when people celebrate, through longstanding traditions and cultural stories, the coming of the Savior of the world? The apostle John begins his gospel by talking about the event this way: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:1, 14). What condescension! What love! And, at this time of year, what an incredible opportunity we have to share the story of the greatest gift ever given. Won’t you share it with someone?