“Christmas Doesn’t Happen Without Me”
By
Pastor Jonathan Buescher |
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[December 15, 2015]
There’s a commercial that I’ve seen recently
for a retailer that is promoting their wares in hopes that your
preparation for Christmas includes stopping by their store or
website. I’m a fan of a good song and dance number as much as the
next person (you can watch it here if you are curious https://youtu.be/wuuU3A8w6Ms),
but I was struck by the lyrics of the song. It speaks about all of
the preparations someone makes for the holidays: decorations, gifts,
food, etc and concludes with this line: “Christmas doesn’t
happen without me.”
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 That’s a bold claim. Many people do accomplish a lot this time of
year. Cooking for large groups of people; decorating at home or work
or church; finding, buying, wrapping, and mailing gifts to the
people on our list. No doubt this is a stressful season. But for all
of our efforts, can we truly conclude that “Christmas doesn’t happen
without me”?
Maybe that thought has crossed your mind. Or at least you’ve thought
that Christmas wouldn’t be as special and shine as bright for your
loved ones if you didn’t go through all the trouble you do: hours of
traveling to family and friends, special holiday recipes, and
Christmas cards and letters. But let’s take a step back during this
Advent season to reflect on the idea that “Christmas doesn’t happen
without me.” Because that statement is not true about you; it’s not
true about me, either. There is only one who could say that
truthfully: Jesus Christ. Christmas doesn’t happen without Him.
If it weren’t for Jesus, Christmas wouldn’t happen. And the truth
is, Christmas would happen just fine without us. But if it weren’t
for Jesus being born in Bethlehem and being crucified on Calvary,
Christmas would be meaningless. And more importantly our salvation
would never have been accomplished.
So it is true that Christmas wouldn’t happen without Jesus, but it
is also true that Christmas happened for you. Jesus was born for
you, and Jesus died for you, in order that eternal life wouldn’t
happen without you.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Jonathan Buescher
Zion Lutheran Church & School - Mount Pulaski, IL - www.zionmp.org
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