A Righteous Celebration Of Christmas

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Immanuel = “God with us” or “with us is God”

Jesus had to come to earth and be born by ordinary means. For him to be a man for him to sacrifice himself on the cross he had to have been born from a woman. So because he was born from a woman his earthly sacrifice was sufficient to pay the debt we owe to God. Isaiah’s prophecy of Jesus’s miraculous birth stands as a pillar for the gospel of John. The phrase “The Word” used in the verse below from the gospel of John is used in reference to “Immanuel” used in Isaiah’s prophecy. 

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Word,or Logos in Greek, was and is Jesus Christ. He dwelt among the Jewish people for around 33 years and ministered to them with grace and truth. A truth that many weren’t ready to hear. Truthfully many today aren’t ready to hear the truth of God but we are to press on in proclaiming the truths found in scripture because we don’t know who is ready and when they are ready. This is a command that we shouldn’t take lightly even in the midst of persecutions even when we face minor so-called setbacks. 

We in the western world have little to nothing to complain about. As adults small momentary inconveniences creep in and take up residence in our minds and sometimes ruin our day. As children amassing things and not being “bored” are looked at as normal. Kids miss the big things when they preoccupy their time with mindless games and unfruitful activities. When we adults let little things ruin our day we set a bad example for our children and the outside world. The grace and truth that Jesus brings is far greater and should overshadow any mere inconvenience that pops up in our lives. 

Jesus died for you and me. He died as the only perfect sacrifice. That fact alone should drive our Christmas celebrations from the vain present exchanges to the giving of something else. We should be using all that energy that goes into the extravagant celebrations and gift giving for glorifying God. Glorifying the God that crushed his only Son so mankind has a chance at everlasting life with God in eternity. Giving our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice daily. Taking the Gospel to all and making disciples of all nations. That is where a Christian should find joy. That is a righteous way to celebrate Christmas…

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.