Why We Celebrate Christmas

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

— Matthew 1:23

 

It really is an amazing thing to think about the mystery of the Incarnation—that mysterious moment when God became a man.

Jesus Christ—God the Son—was born in a manger. He went from the throne of heaven to a feeding trough. He went from the presence of angels to a cave filled with animals. He who is larger than the universe became an embryo. He who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young virgin.

Some people have a hard time believing in the Virgin Birth. If you believe the Bible, you need to believe in the Virgin Birth. The Bible teaches that God Almighty was supernaturally conceived in the womb of a virgin (see Matthew 1:23).

This makes sense if you think about it. If God had chosen to, He could have sent Jesus to this earth as a fully grown, yet sinless human being. A shaft of light could have come out from heaven with Jesus descending to the ground as an adult man.

No Room in the Inn

She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

— Luke 2:7

 

In these days of modern technology, we never miss a thing with TiVo, voice mail, DVD recorders, and camera phones. But even though our toys keep us from missing a phone call, they can also cause us to miss the real reason for the holiday season.

You can watch Christmas disappear in front of your eyes, in a heap of shredded wrapping paper, and find yourself saying, "I was so busy shopping, so busy attending this, going to that, that I think I actually missed the point of Christmas."

What I Want for Christmas

I have always believed in the promise of Christmas. There has always been something special to me about this time of the year, going back to my earliest days of childhood.

What is it that we love about Christmas, once we get past the initial trappings?

I think it is the sense of wonder, beauty, and anticipation. It is the music, the look of surprise on a child's face, and the amazing food. It's the companionship of family and good friends. It is also the absence of strife and meanness (that is, with the exception of the crowds on "Black Friday").

Is He Your Captain?

But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."

— Luke 5:5

 

We find a story in Luke's Gospel about a time when Jesus borrowed Peter's boat to preach to the multitudes. After He had finished speaking, He said to Peter, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4).

Peter replied, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net" (verse 5). I think in all honesty, Peter was respectfully saying to Jesus, "Look, Jesus, you are the man. When it comes to theology, when it comes to telling us about God, you are the authority. We respect you. But you are kind of a landlubber, okay? You don't know the waters like us. We are seasoned fishermen. This is what we do. But at your word, we will do it." The result was they had so many fish that it caused their little boat to start to sink under the weight of them. Then Peter fell down before Jesus and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (verse 8).

Through Rough Waters

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

— Isaiah 43:2

 

When the disciples faced a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, they cried out to Jesus, and He stopped it. But first He rebuked them. He asked, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26). In other words, "Hey, guys, where is your faith? Haven't you learned anything?"

We find a little detail in Mark 4:35 that we don't have in Matthew's account of the story: "On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' " Jesus did not promise the disciples smooth sailing. But He did promise a safe arrival. They needed to know it would be rough. But Jesus did say, "Let us cross over to the other side." And that means they would get to the other side.