Is it something to protest, as those who rail against Christianity are so determined to do?
Is it a commercial "Hallmark" holiday as the media portrays it?
Is it an overrated gift giving extravaganza where we are surrounded by family that we want nothing to do with for the other 364 days in a year?
Or is there a deeper meaning, one that has carried throughout the centuries?
Christmas is a story of significance. It is the story of hope in the face of unstoppable death, love beyond measure, and determination to honor a calling in defiance of cultural expectations. How else do you describe a story where:
- a teenage girl, who finds out that she pregnant while she is still unmarried (betrothed, but not yet married - I'll save the full significance of this for another day) and a virgin?
- this teenage girl is visited by an angel - Gabriel - who tells her that she is pregnant with a child who is the Son of God, and then this angel visits the man she is to marry... the angel tells him to marry her!
- a king who comes to save all of humanity is born in a stable, because the inn is so crowded that the couple cannot get a room for the night.
Have you ever considered that Mary knew from the beginning of her pregnancy when the angel first visited her that she knew what would happen to Jesus at his death? Do you think she knew about the resurrection? Think about taking a walk in the shoes of a faithful young woman who God calls to this incredible role. If you were God, would you have chosen a young virgin girl or would you have chosen a strong, healthy woman in her twenties or thirties that had several successful pregnancies that produced strong and healthy children? Would you have chosen a childcare expert?
Do you think that what Jesus did was revolutionary because of who He is? Did the revolution begin with Him or did it start at the point where his mother was pregnant? How controversial is teenage pregnancy now? How accepted are young, unwed mothers in this day and age? How much more shame and guilt would have been heaped upon Mary?
Why do you think that Jesus needed to be born in a manger? Was it really necessary? Do you think that it would have been different if He had been born in a bedroom of an earthly king's palace with a midwife there to assist Mary? Does this humble beginning spell the beginning of the end?
Watch as Linus tells the Christmas story...
So remember, Christmas isn't really about presents, but about the one who came to give His life so that we could have life. We have already received the greatest gift anyone could ever give, if we just choose to accept it.
P.S. Take the time to enjoy your family while you can, because there is no guarantee of tomorrow.
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