This season is one of my favorite four of the year! It’s hard to be sleepy when you step outside and inhale a breath of crisp winter air. It’s hard to miss the beauty of lights and decorations in our homes and communities. I enjoy this time of year.
You and I know that we don’t know when Jesus was born. The Bible is oddly specific in the details it leaves for us regarding the birth of Jesus. We learn about the gifts that were brought, the location of his birth, the response to his birth—but we don’t learn the date or all other sorts of interesting information. I suspect there’s a divine reason for this: God wants us to focus on Jesus—not the things that surround him.
I am grateful that the Christmas season is the de facto time when people remember the birth of Jesus, because without it, they might not think about him at all.
I’m glad that when people think about the birth of Jesus, they think about giving. After all, God does love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), and “the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35).
I’m thrilled that when people tell the story of his virgin birth, they are reminded that as the angel told Mary, “nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Even the impossible is possible.
I’m encouraged by the charities that operate this time of the year to make sure that even in the darkest, coldest time of the year, the “least of these” are taken care of. (Matthew 25:40)
I’m glad to know that God is in the saving business, that He is here, and that he has a plan for me. I’m thrilled that today we can worship this God as a family. Aren’t you?