A Reason to Remember
Why is the Christmas season important?
Verse of the Day
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Today’s Devotional
Today is December 1st, and we are going to spend some time focusing on Jesus. Technically, Advent begins on Sunday, December 3rd this year. Advent, which means “coming” in Latin, is a time of preparation and expectant waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word “advent” is defined as “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” We can choose to use the month of December to prepare for the celebration of the arrival of the most notable Person in history.
Let me pause here and tell you that I LOVE Christmas. Red is my favorite color, so Christmas decorations are right up my alley. I love spending time with my family and friends, and we get to do that much more during the Christmas season. I love birthdays and I love Jesus, so it seems natural that I love the Christmas season.
However, it was brought to my attention recently that the holiday season can be stressful. People (like me) get carried away with wanting things to be special, which can lead to unrealistic expectations, which can lead to frustration and disappointment for everyone involved.
This year I’d like to take a step back from the frivolity and spend some time answering this question: “What is the purpose of Christmas?”
I am not a scholar of Advent. But I do know that God always instructed the people of Israel to honor special times of celebration and remembrance. Humans are incredibly prone to forget things, especially (it seems) the big ways that God has shown up to save us. So, to me, the details of Christmas are unimportant. Whether it was originally a pagan festival, what time of year Jesus was actually born, these things are not important to me. What is important is that I remember Jesus.
We tend to think that the story of Jesus began in Bethlehem. But Jesus always has been and always will be. Look at Genesis 1:26, “Let us make human beings in our image…” Jesus was part of the creation of the world. The story of Jesus’s earthly life began in Bethlehem, but even that was alluded to in the Old Testament. Many places in the Old Testament point to a coming Savior. Today’s verse is one such example.
God Himself knew that the birth of Jesus would need to be different in order to get our attention. I would add that the details of the birth of Jesus would give room for faith or doubt. Do we really believe that Mary was a virgin? I would bet that Mary’s contemporaries did not believe that. “Likely story, she gets pregnant by a “Spirit.””
But look at the history of our faith. God uses one person to affect a huge number of people. Abraham, Joseph, Moses…these people had very unusual experiences with God that changed the course of history. Mary’s story is even more extraordinary because she was a young woman.
As we enter into December, let’s take the time to stop, breathe, and remember. This year, I feel an invitation from God to notice, embrace, and meditate on the WONDER of Jesus becoming human. My prayer is that we can look at this part of history with the awe, wonder, and excitement of a child.
God asks us all to remember how He showed up in our yesterdays so that we will better trust Him today. Let’s remember that Jesus stepped out of heaven, entered the womb of a young woman, and was born in less-than-ideal circumstances, all so that you and I could have the opportunity to be made whole. I, for one, need to be reminded of the extravagance of God’s love for me. I need to remember that God’s plan for our salvation was in the works since time began. He loves us that much. I need to remember that Immanuel means “God with us”. The Christmas season is the time where we can choose to remember that God came to be with us, literally. He came to put skin on and show us what love looks like.
The purpose of this season is to remember Jesus. To remember what He did for each one of us. To remember the magnitude of His sacrifice. To embrace the love He is offering to each of us today.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you stop today to remember the true meaning of this season?
What does it mean for you today to know that God is with you?
If you really acted as though you knew that God was with you, what would you do differently?
How can you respond today to the loving sacrifice of Jesus, as he left the heavens and came to the earth in lowly circumstances, to put flesh on the love of God?
How can you embrace the purpose of this month as remembering all the Jesus has done for you?