“What does” Christmas mean to you? To me it means salvation for the lost soul and so much LOVE you think you are in another world. Let’s take a look at Christmas the way it was looked at when Jesus was on the way to being born and afterwards.
Long before we were ever thought of God the Father knew that our lives would be empty, hollow, without substance and miserable. So He devised a plan that would take core of all our misery, emptiness, hollowness, unforgiveness, evil thinking or anything else that goes on in this world today.
That plan was for the birth of a baby that no man could take credit for the virgin birth of Jesus Christ our savior.
The True Meaning of Christmas
The historic record of the birth of Christ can be found in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.
Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he come as a baby, instead of appearing in power and majesty? Why make himself a true man and live among us, when he knew full well how terribly he would be treated?
It was LOVE! It was necessary, if you are to be saved!
Luke 1:26-38
“26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’ 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 ‘Don’t be frightened, Mary,’ the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you! 31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!’ 34 Mary asked the angel, ‘But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.’ 35 The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.’ 38 Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.’ And then the angel left.”
Luke 2:8-20
“8 That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, 10 but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!’ 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God: 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.’ 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ 16 They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.”
Matt 2:7-12
“7 Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 8 Then he told them, ‘Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!’ 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. “
Scripture is the only way I can tell you the true meaning of Christmas. I pray you all are Blessed above everything you have ever thought of.
