Let’s get Christmas right this year!
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So many people misunderstand Christmas. In much of the world it is the most celebrated holiday of the year. Yet people get it wrong. For many, things get way out of focus!
So, I’d like to dispel some of the misconceptions in this article. Let’s get it right this year.
Here are 3 reasons why people misunderstand Christmas:
1. They think Christmas is about family.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much a family man. Carolyn and I were married in 1979 and have 3 boys. Family times are extremely important to us. We spend holidays like Christmas with family.
But Christmas is so much more than family. The name itself points to the real meaning: CHRISTmas.
Our family is at a time where we have lost many family members due to old age and other tragedies. But through Christ, we become part of a forever family that never ends.
We become children of God through faith in Christ: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:11-13 KJV)
We should enjoy our earthly family while not forgetting that Jesus Christ provides a forever family that we’ll never lose. That’s a big part of the real meaning of Christmas.
2. They think Christmas is about culture.
To be sure, Christmas is a very cultural holiday in much of the world. People misunderstand Christmas because it has become so very cultural!
In the USA, most every business closes to celebrate Christmas. I have a Jewish friend who muses that the only places open on Christmas are the Chinese restaurants. So, that’s where you find all the Asian and Jewish people on Christmas.
Of course, Christmas shopping is huge for businesses in our culture.
But while Christmas is cultural, Christmas is still about the babe who was born on Christmas. It’s a birthday celebration. And why is it such a big one? Because of who Jesus is:
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8 NLT)
A short essay titled “One Solitary Life” summarizes the amazing nature of Christ and says in part:
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
3. They think Christmas is about giving.
A final reason people misunderstand Christmas is because of the emphasis on giving gifts. If you want to read a story of my own selfishness about presents, click this link and read about “My WORST Christmas Ever.”
Giving and receiving Christmas gifts is fine, I’m all for it. But let’s remember that the reason we give gifts is because of the Greatest Gift ever given: salvation!
We give because Jesus gave Himself: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Please don’t miss the true meaning of Christmas. Receive the gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering to you! To learn how to receive it, click HERE.
Additional resources about Christmas on this site:
Podcast: What is the virgin birth?
Vlog (video with Mark & Carolyn 2015): Christmas Greeting
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