“Christmas celebrates Almighty God’s descent into the decadence of humanity.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – December 25, 2024
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:11-12
The focus of the first Christmas was Jesus. It was His day. There was no competition from commercialism seeking economic gain. The gifts were given to Him. God was the recipient of gratitude and generosity. He was glorified on this day of salvation for all who would come to believe in Jesus as God’s only Son. There was an appreciation for the Almighty’s descent into the decadence of humanity. There was no feuding from other faiths, jockeying with each other for time in the Savior’s spotlight. On the contrary, there was religious respect and humble worship from those who traveled great distances from their diverse origins of belief. On this day, Jesus unified sincere seekers of truth.
The first Christmas, however, was not without controversy. Politically, Jesus was a lightning rod (some things never change). Government leaders felt threatened, as if a traitor had infiltrated their influence over the masses. Involuntary spies were sent to validate His presence. Once His birth had been verified, the powers that be went to work. Insecurity and fear drive people to commit irrational acts, and it was no different back then. In his most helpful book, The Challenge of Jesus, the highly regarded theologian N.T. Wright asserts that Jesus’ birth signified the arrival of God’s kingdom, directly confronting earthly authorities. He states, “The whole point of the gospels is that the birth of this little boy is the beginning of a confrontation between the kingdom of God and all its apparent weakness, insignificance, and vulnerability, and the kingdoms of the world.”
So, what started as a celestial coronation for the Prince of Peace ended with jealous leaders taking severe and deadly action. The Christ-child was driven from their pitiful but powerful presence. They destroyed other God-fearing families in the process. The community was cast into chaos when Christ was removed from their culture and sent to Egypt, “When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matthew 2:13-15).
From the first Christmas, we can learn to keep Christ central in worship and society. He is the wonder of our worship. He is the reason for our giving gifts. Because we celebrate His birthday, we pause to pray, reflect, and plan to follow His will more robustly and intentionally. Our Master came to earth and made Himself like a man. He took on the form of a servant, though He could have crowned Himself as King. He pointed us to the love and forgiveness of His heavenly Father. The Christ-child was born of a virgin. He was God who dwelt among us, but sometimes we forget Him, even on His birthday.
We have failed to keep Christ in Christmas because we have failed to keep Him in some of our churches. Why should the culture embrace the Christ of Christmas when some of our churches have marginalized their Master? Let’s start by inviting the Almighty back into our churches with fresh and revitalized reverence in worship, evangelism, and discipleship. Let’s prayerfully and responsibly “lay hands” on leaders who fear God, hate sin, love people, and teach the Bible. Christmas is losing its luster for the Lord because Christians have forgotten to fear God.
His birth is only significant if His death and resurrection are significant. The Christ of Christmas becomes compelling when we, as followers of Jesus, flock to Him in faithfulness and obedience. Let all who name the name of Jesus revisit Him in the awe and worship of that first Christmas. Let’s exclaim enthusiastically to a hurting world that He has come to heal broken hearts and revive sick souls. We unapologetically celebrate His birthday with passion because God is with us.
He is transforming us into the likeness of His Son. Let’s make this Christmas like the first Christmas. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with forgiveness, joy, hope, peace, and love while we worship our Lord together. The first Christmas fuels our faith and recalibrates us to Christ. Two thousand years later, His story only grows more extraordinary. Experience Jesus this Christmas by making Him the hero of your story!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise You for sending Your perfect son into our imperfect world so we might know You and be known by You, in Jesus’ precious name I pray, amen.
Application
Read the Christmas story to your family and ask each person which character they most relate to in this season of their life.
Related Reading
Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; John 3:17; Acts 5:31; 1 John 4:14
Worship Resource
Chris Tomlin with CeCe Winans: O Holy Night
Donate
If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.
Download our app!
