What Will We Celebrate on Christmas Day?

Luke 2:13-15, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” ¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” (NKJV)

It seems to me that people are always looking for a reason to celebrate or throw a party. Even birthday parties for children are becoming an extravagant affair (Disclaimer: I am not against this by any means.). The celebration of Holy Matrimony has almost been overshadowed by the approach that some couples take for the celebration of their wedding vows (Disclaimer: I am not against this is you can afford the celebration.). People are all ready planning their New Years Eve parties even down to making sure that they are dressed in the "right outfit." There will be Super Bowl parties in a few weeks. I can go on with other examples but I will stop at this point.

But I have written these previous words so that I can write these next words. Has the celebrations of the culture overtaken and in some cases even replaced the daily celebrations that ought to take place in our lives? Christmas allows us and even encourages us to look in the Bible and see what God set in motion for the people of this world to receive. The gift of Jesus Christ to this world opened the door for the plan of Salvation to be revealed to humanity. We who were far away from God would now be called to draw near through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ushered in an opportunity for mankind to showcase their praise and honor to God. We would be given the opportunity to celebrate our "spiritual freedoms" which would begin with the birth of a child in a manger in Bethlehem. "Oh, what a message to share and Oh, what a song to sing!!!"

We are in great need for God to help us focus on the good news that has caused great joy for people around the world and across the ages of time. Our true HOPE is found in the Truth that Jesus came to this world to save sinners and each of us were in need of a Savior to say the least.

We are in awe that the coming of the Lord Jesus has shaped the history of the world and has changed untold millions of lives. We need this gospel in troubled times lest we become fearful and overwhelmed by the challenges of daily life. The Word of  God will strengthen our faith during these challenging times.

We rejoice in the proclamation of Immanuel, God with us. As Isaiah said, “to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”