Christmas is almost here and most people are trying to make the most of this season, by enjoying old traditions and perhaps, making new ones. This season is filled with decorative lights, Christmas shopping, tales of Santa and his reindeer, yummy treats, and being with people we love. However, there comes a point when all those festive activities just don’t satisfy. And if your like me, you question, “What is the real meaning of Christmas”, and “How can I truly experience and enjoy this season ?”
Here is some ideas we have to make the most of this season:
1. Think and pray about the significant event that took place, the coming of Jesus the Messiah to earth.
It’s easy to read the Christmas story and say, “yeah, yeah, virgin birth, manger, frankincense, I know the story…” And in doing that we minimize this event into a sort of children’s story. But the challenge is to meditate, study, and think/pray about the significance of this event, and how truly miraculous and intentional the birth and coming of Jesus was. Also, multiple prophecies were fulfilled from this event that solidified their predictions and the Word of God. This was an event that hundreds of generations were anticipating and waiting for. Jesus being born was anything, but casual or ordinary!
2. Pray and meditate on the significance this has specifically for you
Think about this, if Jesus hadn’t come there still would be no salvation or the Gospel, Jesus wouldn’t have died and resurrected so we couldn’t have the Holy Spirit inside us or have a deep and extremely personal relationship with Christ. We would still be under the Law, and not under the New Covenant of grace. All that to say, without the coming and birth of the Messiah our lives would look drastically different, and the ways we relate to God would be drastically different as well.
3. Put into practice the example that God set by sending Jesus to the earth.
Because Jesus was sent to earth it brought us endless hope and relentless joy. He gave us the greatest gift which is Jesus! Jesus came and by the end of His time (resurrection) He gave us unending and abundant life, peace, joy, hope, a future, eternal life, a personal relationship with God, and forgiveness for our sins that no longer separate us from the Lord. He gave us the most fulfilling and incredible gift by choosing to come to earth. He came down in the most humblest of ways to bring us love and life. He didn’t have to, but he chose to. In turn, we need to to share that same hope with others around us this Christmas.
All this to say, the most satisfying way to spend Christmas this year is to truly focus on what is the meaning and the purpose of this holiday. When your with your families, or singing a Christmas carol don’t forget to remember and truly celebrate what the birth of Jesus meant and did for the human race.
Celebrate Him this holiday season!
