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 Christmas is not about the living God coming to
tell us everything's all right. [It] isn't about Jesus speaking the
truth and everyone saying: "Of course! Why didn't we realize it
before?" It is about God shining his clear, bright torch into the
darkness of our world, our lives, our hearts, our imaginations—and
the darkness not comprehending it. It's about God, God as a little
child, speaking words of truth, and nobody knowing what he's talking
about.
- N.T. Wright
Why Christmas? Jesus came to show us God. Through
Jesus, God spoke to us in a way that we could understand Him. This
is nothing new though, just better.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many
times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to
us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s
glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all
things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
- Hebrews 1:1-3
God revealed Himself through the words spoken by
Jesus, through His message, but He did more than that. Jesus came to
reveal God, to make Him known to us in ways that we can understand.
Author/Preacher Timothy Keller said it like this:
"If Jesus didn't come, the story of Christmas
is one more moral paradigm to crush you. If Jesus didn't come, I
wouldn't want to be anywhere around these Christmas stories that say
we need to be sacrificing, we need to be humble, we need to be
loving. All that will do is crush you into the ground … [But] if
Jesus Christ is actually God come in the flesh, you're going to know
much more about God … If Jesus is who he says he is, we have a
500-page autobiography from God, in a sense.
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 And our understanding will be vastly more
personal and specific than any philosophy or religion could give us.
[Because of Christmas] look at what God has done to get you to know
him personally. If the Son would come all this way to become a real
person to you, don't you think the Holy Spirit will do anything in
his power to make Jesus a real person to you in your heart? "
Christmas is an invitation by God: Look what I've done to come
near to you. Now draw near to Me. I don't want to be a concept; I
want to be a friend.
- Timothy Keller,
Why Christmas Matters The Christmas
season may be full of highs and lows, but this is an invitation we
can all celebrate!
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