The Heart Of Christmas

Luke 2: 10-11 - “10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (NLT)

What is Christmas really all about? Each year, the culture focuses on gifts under the tree, meals around the table, family spending time together and hopes of winter weather. These all certainly play a part in the most wonderful time of year, but there is something else that is at the heart of the Christmas season. The Bible tells us that the real reason to celebrate is the saving grace offered to us through the birth, life and death of God’s son, Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic of all Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. The passage he writes is born of gloom and darkness. The world had felt the full weight of sin, and it had wreaked havoc on all of creation. What Isaiah offered in chapter nine was something the Jewish people needed more than anything—hope. Hope that one day someone would come to make all things right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and this fact offers us hope in our lives today (See, Isaiah 9: 2-7).

In the book of Luke we see the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled. The shepherds of the field knew that this was God’s glory revealed, and salvation had come to all who believe. Do we really believe in salvation, or do we believe in a chubby old man wearing a red winter suit that comes down our chimney to give us gifts if we are good? It is amazing to me that God has provided us with the greatest gift that we could ever receive, and yet for some of us, it isn’t going to be enough.

The heart of Christmas is a God who loves us, desires us, and made us for so much more than we know. He made us to love Him back, and saved us from ourselves at just the right time. God desires for you to have an amazing Christmas, full of all that you need and in many cases even more than that. God desires us to remember His great gift to us this year! Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our King, our Emmanuel (God with us)! 
- Pastor Mike