Even Christians can miss the point of the Christmas story if they aren’t careful. Halford E. Luccock warned of that danger in a thought provoking essay. Here is what he wrote: “We can become so charmed with the story of a baby that we grow sentimental about it. It does not ask that we do anything about it; it does not demand any vital change in our way of thinking and living.
“The great question for us is this: Is our Christmas still only a story about a baby, or is it more, a . . . story about a Person into whom the baby grew, who can redeem the world from its sins, and who calls us into partnership with His great and mighty purposes?”
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, he said, “You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). It is only as we see the birth of Jesus in light of His crucifixion and resurrection that we are able to grasp the full meaning of Christ’s coming.
With your eyes wide open this Christmas, respond to God with love and commitment for the gift of His Son. Focus your thoughts and actions and motivations toward honoring the Baby who grew up and died for all our sins. Christ the Savior is born!—David McCasland
When we look beyond the manger To the cross of Calvary, We will know the reason Christmas Brings such joy to you and me.—D. De Haan
Reflections: What difference or impact has Jesus had on your life? How can your actions and motivations honor Jesus?
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The mission of the cross is hidden in the message of the cradle.
John 3:16 is arguably the most famous verse in the Bible. It describes the passion of God for a lost and rebellious human race. So great is God’s love for us that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to pay for our sins and to rescue us from death and judgment. The eternal life God provides in Christ is the only hope for the failures, sin, and emptiness that we experience, because it is not merely eternal in terms of time—it is a dramatically transformed quality of life that is wrapped up in the beauty and glory of God Himself.
