1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’”) 16 For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
Many people at this time of year are offended at how Christians try to remind the world of the real reason for Christmas.
But is it possible to have a non-offensive Christmas? The whole point of Christmas is that God came down to get in our faces, and stake His claim to the world and our individual lives.
Generally speaking, the world will celebrate Christmas without ever worshipping or meditating on the real meaning of this special season. To all intents and purposes Christmas is no longer a Christian holy day. It has now become a public holiday of fun and festivity. Even wishing people a Merry Christmas is frowned upon in certain circles today. Happy Holidays is far more neutral and non-offensive to those who hate Jesus Christ.
It’s a hectic time of year, and the holiday will come and go and many will have done all their shopping with no consideration for the reason behind the season. They will go to parties where Christ’s name will never be mentioned, except as a swear word, and the real meaning of the season will be completely avoided.
In a culture which is increasingly secular, there are many people who have no clue about what it all means. I heard a story once of a Christian who had a friend who was going through a really difficult time. This man was in real need, and his life had been one disaster after the other, so his Christian friend gave him a Bible and encouraged him to read it, and to start with the Christmas story, since it was that time of year.
The man looked at his friend, and with real surprise on his face said, “You mean the Christmas story is in the Bible?”
For those of us who know what the Christmas story is and have read and heard the Christmas story many times from Scripture, it seems incredible that someone would not know something that basic. But there is a growing ignorance of spiritual things in the world today as we attempt to separate our lives from any contact with, or reference to, God.
Christmas in the eyes of the world is combing the stores in frustration.
It is fighting people for parking bays and getting trampled in the stampede as the shops stay open for the last few days before the 25th of December.
It’s about baking and cooking. It’s about searching for the perfect Christmas tree.
It’s about wondering how you can get what you want for everyone and still make it to the end of January. It is rushing and running to get it all done.
The world has tried to take a Christian holy day and gut it of its real meaning while trying to keep the wonder and joy of it, and the result is that it comes across as hollow and shallow to those of us whose lives have been transformed by the reality of God Himself taking on human flesh, entering our world and going to the cross where He died to pay the penalty of our sin.
The Christ-child is being asked to leave more and more places. But isn’t that the reality of Christmas?
A child is born into the world and the world ignores Him at best and turns its hostility on Him at worst. At the time of the first Christmas He was unwelcome, and many wanted to destroy Him and erase His name from history.
Not much has changed, and what we see in the 21st century is in keeping with the spirit of the first Christmas.
We are supposed to celebrate Christmas, but we are not supposed to remember why. And we find that Jesus is just as unwelcome in our world today as He was when He was born.
He is just as unwelcome in the vast majority of homes all over the world today as He was at the inn at Bethlehem. People are still offended by Him. People still reject Him. People still try to forget Him and ignore Him.
So the world has fooled itself into thinking that it is easier to just pretend He never came and does not exist.
Christmas cards are decorated with birds, candles and snow - everything but Christ.
Have you ever wondered what the world is so afraid of? Why does the name Jesus Christ stir up such emotion?
There is not this kind of reaction to the story and life of any other religious leader in the world, so why is there so much hostility toward Jesus?
The answer is because the story is true, and the world has always understood that Christ is dangerous.
He is not just a religious leader among many. He is the only Son of God. He is unique. He is Emmanuel, God who came to us in human form. And to recognise that means that everything must be different.
It means that God has come to Earth in search of me, and the moment I acknowledge that truth, my life can never be the same again. I now have a responsibility toward Him.
It means that God has a claim upon my life, and that determines how I am to think and live. It means that I can no longer live just for myself; I am obligated to live for God.
It means I have to recognise a higher authority than myself and surrender to that authority. That is why the world is afraid.
John 1:9-14 says, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The world should be afraid of Him, because in spite of all the attempts to destroy Him, Jesus will just not go away. He is the ruler of heaven and earth. He has overcome the world and will judge the world on the final day. Someone once said of Jesus, “Give Him an inch and He will take the universe.” He is Lord of all.
And that is why the world is so offended by Him.
Not only that, but whether you like it or not, or whether you’re prepared to admit it or not, there is no neutral ground when it comes to Jesus.
The name of Jesus Christ either stirs your heart with love, or with hatred. Those are the only two options.
He is the cornerstone on which all life is built, and 1 Peter 2:7-8 talks about those two options like this: “The honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.”
How much has been lost since that first Christmas day. The simplicity. The sacredness. The wonder of it all. The realisation of God’s wonderful gift. God who became man. He is laid down in hay in the middle of a dirty stable when He had just come from the magnificence of His own Heaven. He came from being worshipped and adored by all the hosts of heaven to be spat upon by the world. Later He would be hated and crucified by the world He came to save.
Two thousand years have passed, but nothing has changed. He is still unwelcome all over the world.
Many hearts still offer him no room. To many He is just as much a stranger as then. His welcome is no better. He is still looked on with suspicion and hostility by the world.
Part of the reason is that we might put up with a baby Jesus, but we don’t want Him to grow up. We like the baby, but we don’t care so much for the titles that come with Him: The Christ, Immanuel, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, King and Lord.
If He stays in the manger He is containable and even manageable, but He was not meant for the manger - He was meant for the throne.
We can handle a baby, but not a King, especially one who claims to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The first time He came in obscurity, vulnerability and humility. His second coming will be in power, strength, majesty and glory.
In spite of His love for the world, that love is not reciprocated. We are so desperately trying to establish our independence from God.
And part of the problem is that our view of Christmas has become distorted. It is so easy to get sidetracked into thinking of Christmas as something other than it really is.
Shop owners measure the success of Christmas by their profit margins and how it compares to other years.
Mothers measure it by how much of the family was able to be together. Fathers think about its cost, and whether they spent more or less than last year.
Children measure it by how many days they get out of school and whether or not they got the gifts they wanted.
How do you measure Christmas? Is it just a welcome break in the monotony of the world? A holiday? Is it just a lot of work?
Or is it Him? He is the reason for the season. Are we wanting more of Him? Are we wanting God’s gift more than anything else?
Have we centred our lives around Him, and given ourselves to Him?
Do we make time for Him, worship Him, and remember the sacrifice He made in order to come to us?
Jesus gives us the true meaning of Christmas in John 17:3 when He says, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
What would it have been like if Jesus had never come? What would the story of our lives be? Where would the meaning of life be, let alone Christmas? What could possibly give us a reason for living and make sense of this thing we call life? Without His coming there is no meaning, there is no reason, there is no sense to life.
But because He came we can experience a purpose for our lives and know that our lives can become one with the purpose of God for the world.
If you think that your life has no real meaning and you are just drifting from day to day, then I’d like to challenge you today to start looking to Jesus Christ for the answer, because I can guarantee you that you will not find it anywhere else.
There is a purpose for your existence, and there is a reason for the season.