CHRISTMAS

by Laurie Hayes

I love the Christmas holiday time. It’s a time for families to get together. It’s a time for exchanging gifts, and it’s a time of celebration. It’s a happy time. Why? What’s so important about the Christmas time?

We all enjoy receiving gifts at Christmas. Our family might drop hints as to what you might like, or you might drop hints as to what your husband or wife might like as a Christmas gift. Did you ever wonder why we exchange gifts at Christmas? It’s funny that we don’t exchange gifts at any other time, except our birthdays, just at Christmas. The reason for this is that John 3:16  " 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.

Well, the Bible tells us that the little baby who was born that first Christmas, approximately 2000 years ago was none other than God Himself. The Bible tells us that the baby who was born was the fulfilment of a prophecy in the prophet Isaiah 7:14  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." So the little baby born 2000 years ago is God with us.

The Bible also tells us that the baby, who was called Jesus, was a gift from God: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The whole point of Christmas is to celebrate God’s gift of Jesus who was given to the world to go to the cross at Calvary and there 1 Peter 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.

So we give gifts at Christmas because our God gave us a gift at Christmas, His own Son, Jesus, God with us … the Saviour of the world.

Also, a number of wise men came from the east searching for this baby. And when they found Him they gave Him gifts. It’s interesting too that these wise men recognised that this baby was God Himself, because they actually worshipped Him. Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Today, wise people still search for God, and when they find Him, they worship Him, and give Him the gift of their lives. Why don’t you think about the real meaning of Christmas. Why don’t you look past the wrappings of your Christmas presents this year and recognise the real gift of Christmas, the Lord Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world.