"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'” ~ Luke 2:1-12
On Christmas, it is time to not only gather with family and friends, but to also remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. More and more these days the birth of Jesus seems to get overshadowed by materialism and consumerism. The crazy lengths that people will go to on Black Friday to get the "best Christmas deal" now seem to include attacking others with pepper spray. I think this completely misses the point of the message that God wants us to focus on, which is love.
The birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary was a miracle, but this was just the beginning. It's incredible to know that we have a God who loves us so much that his Son came into the world to serve us and to bare the weight of our sins, all because He loves us. The Christmas season is meant to be a season of love in order to remind us of the love that the Lord has for his people. John 3:16 elaborates completely on this immense love. This verse states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This should really make the birth of Jesus a cause for celebration. Without Jesus coming into the world, we would not have had someone willing to obey the Father and die for our sins so that we can have eternal life. On this Christmas, it is my hope that you will all take time to reflect on the significance of the birth of Jesus and how belief in Him can impact your eternal life.
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