I absolutely love Christmas. I love the lights. I love the smell of pine. I love the presents—giving and receiving. I love the music. I love the food. I love the family time. I love just about everything there is about Christmas. But this should come as no surprise: What I love most is Jesus. I love how during this time of year He reinvigorates my memory of Him. It’s not just a reminder of the awesome and enigmatic way His divine nature pierced into dark humanity all those years ago in a small, obscure, humble, feeding trough. No, it’s a reminder of how He awesomely and enigmatically pierced His way into my personal life—birthing in me a love for Him, that by His power, will never die.
But there’s something else that intrigues me regarding this holiday. I’m not sure if any of you have ever considered this: Christmas is a miracle. And I’m not talking about the virgin birth. Don’t get me wrong. I do think that’s a miracle, along with the events that enveloped it. My point is that the holiday itself is somewhat of a miracle. Consider this: How many of you and your friends love this time of year? How many of you start to get excited, even antsy, when the month of October hits the calendar? If so, have you ever considered how abnormal that is? As the days become shorter, and the air becomes colder, and the leaves begin to fall, we begin to fill with joy. Remove Jesus from the equation, and it doesn’t make sense. This is the time of year when things die, because it’s darker and colder. This is the time of year, when, literally, “the grass withers and the flower fades.” This is the time of year when animals vigorously collect food to survive the suffering winter months. They prepare for the harsh winter months, because food is scarce, and travel is difficult. Birds flee to the south to avoid the terrible conditions of winter. And most cultures dread entering into the unforeseen conditions of winter, not knowing if they will survive. So, to recap, this time of year has more night, chillier days, less food, restricted commuting, and dying plant life. By all rationality this should be the worst time of year. But, for some reason, we sing, “This is the most wonderful time of the year…” Why? What’s the difference for us? Well, you guessed it; it’s Jesus. How is it that joy can enter our souls and quicken our spirits as we approach the toughest part of the year? Jesus.
I think there’s a lesson here. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, the harsh winters go by sometimes unknowingly. And when our trust is placed in Jesus, suffering through darkness, cold, hunger, isolation, and death are but “momentary light afflictions” (2 Cor 4:17 NASB). James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (Jas 1:2-3 NASB). Paul said that he longed to know the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Php 3:10 NASB). Why would these men say this? While I think there are many reasons, I wish to point out one.
When these men experienced suffering and trials in their lives, they knew they were getting closer to Jesus. Like the winter months approaching Christmas, they knew they were getting closer to the time of holiday celebration with the Lord. Christmas is hope in darkness. It’s a reminder of the eternal light of God’s presence that awaits us (Jas 1:17), the sweet aroma of life and prayers (Rev 5:8), the rewarding gifts in His hands (Rev 22:12), the new song (Rev 5:9; 14:3), and the wedding feast (Rev 19:6-9).
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to address a different topic. I have heard on rare occasions some people profess that they don’t celebrate Christmas, citing the Bible as their justification (since there is no biblical command to do so). First, to those Scrooges out there, an argumentum ex silentio (argument from silence) is by nature a false argument. Second, have you considered the narrative in John 10 that records Jesus in Jerusalem observing the Jewish Feast of Dedication? This Feast is nowhere prescribed in Torah for the Jews to observe, yet Jesus is seen celebrating it. By the way, you know this holiday by another name—Hanukkah. Therefore, if Jesus saw no issue in celebrating a feast that gave praise to God (that wasn’t explicitly commanded), then I think it’s safe to say, He’d probably celebrate Christmas, too.