A Christmas Celebration
A Christmas Celebration
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
God sent His Son as a baby, swaddled in His mother’s arms. The maker of the universe, the creator of life, came to be with us. He did not come to intimidate us. He came to save us. And we remember his birth this time of year, which brought us celebration, salvation and reconciliation. Together, these three keys embody all that is Christmas.
Key One: Celebration
We celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas—and it is worth celebration! Behind every glowing light, each carol we sing, and all the family gatherings is the joy of knowing we have eternal life because our Savior was born.
Immanuel means God is with you, God Loves you and God is for you. Many people view God as distant and uninterested. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We celebrate a savior who turns no one away. He cares for the forgotten, loves the unlovable, and forgives the unforgivable. God loves YOU! If you feel you have nothing else to rejoice over this Christmas, you have that.
Key Two: Salvation
We were saved from something, for something, and by something. Often times we think about all God has saved us from. We rejoice over leaving our sin, guilt, and shame at the altar, but we fail to realize God is also saving us for something! You have a purpose! God has a plan and desire for you to be a part of his kingdom.
Key Three: Reconciliation
Reconciliation has to do with the person, not the problem. God came to reconcile us back to Him, and He calls us to be ministers of reconciliation. Having peace is not necessarily about solving the problem; it’s about having peace in the midst of the situation. You can reconcile with a person without having a resolution to the problem. God sent His sin to restore us back to Him, to give us a pathway to a loving relationship with Christ. Christmas is a time for reconciling.
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