What Makes Christmas So Important?

Hi, y’all! The Christmas season is officially here! Are you excited? Well, whether you are a happy Who in Whoville or the Grinch himself, this post is for you!

Today I am swapping blogs with Julia, a fellow member of the Young Writer’s Workshop and the blogger at julianelsonauthor.com. That means that I’m am posting something she wrote on my blog, and she’s posting something that I wrote on her blog.

Julia was inspired by one of her pastors’ sermons to write this article, encouraging Christians to take the celebration of Christmas to a whole new level.

“What Makes Christmas So Important?”

The tree is up and decorated. Bows, stockings, and streamers line the staircase. Lights and wreaths adorn our house. Candles sparkle through the windows. The nativity scene is situated above the fireplace.

Christmas is only a few weeks away! Can you believe it’s almost here?

Here in the United States, we tend to take Christmas for granted. It’s a fun season with bright lights, ornamented trees, and presents wrapped in colorful paper underneath.

All of these things are wonderful, and they really make this holiday come to life! But in the midst of it all, we tend to lose sight of the most exciting part of Christmas–the birth of Jesus Christ!

But . . . there’s more to Christmas than just Jesus’ birth. Why did he come, and how does this affect the way we celebrate this season?

Jesus Christ, Our Wonderful Counselor

“And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6b

In today’s society, we have so many problems. People are rejecting God and his wonderful commands for us.

But the question is, why are there problems like these?

When Jesus came into this world as the incarnate God–God in the flesh–he came with a purpose. He came to restore the brokenness in this world. He knew where that brokenness came from, and He was born into this world to defeat the problem.

That problem is sin.

It’s because of your sin and my sin that Jesus came to sacrifice himself on the cross and die, willingly taking our punishment upon himself because he loved us so much.

As our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus understood that our main problem is sin, and he came to defeat it once and for all by dying on the cross.

This is such a beautiful message when we truly grasp how much torture Jesus endured–for us. But it only becomes real to you if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

This is Jesus speaking. He wants to come into our lives and be our Lord. Before anything can happen, we have to let Him in.

Jesus Christ, Our Mighty God

The second title is “Mighty God.”

What does it mean that God is mighty?

When Jesus was here on earth, he performed sign miracles that revealed his deity. He had the power to cast demons out, heal the sick, and raise people from the dead. He ultimately defeated death when he rose again from the grave.

When the Bible says that Jesus is our “mighty God,” it’s telling us that he is omnipotent–all-powerful. He can do anything. He can defeat anything. He can take any bad deed and turn it around for His good purpose.

Doesn’t that just make you want to praise him?

Jesus Christ, Our Everlasting Father

When we become children of God by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we become his children. No longer are we slaves to sin. Now, we have a Father in heaven who loves us.

Maybe you don’t have a father with whom you can share this Christmas season. If this is the case, remember that you have a Father in heaven. He loves you much more than your earthly father ever could. You don’t ever have to be alone.

God’s love for His children will last forever. You can’t lose your salvation when you’re saved by him. Once saved, always saved. However, this isn’t your “ticket” to heaven so you can do whatever you want here on earth. God’s love doesn’t give us an excuse to keep sinning; it should give us a reason to stop sinning.

Your attitude changes, and you no longer want to live for yourself, but for the God who made you.

Jesus Christ, Our Prince of Peace

People might say, “If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, why isn’t there any peace in this world?”

This is a good question, but there’s a simple answer.

Sin.

Yes, sin. Sin is the reason we don’t have peace in this world. People talk about trying to bring peace into this broken world, but peace doesn’t come by the efforts of humans, for we are sinners.

Peace comes only through Jesus Christ. He truly is our Prince of Peace. When he comes again to earth to reign forever, we will have the peace for which we all have been longing.

Why Should We Celebrate Christmas?

Celebrating Christmas is more than celebrating Jesus’ birth. It’s celebrating the reason behind Jesus’ birth. If Jesus came into the world with no eternal purpose, his birth wouldn’t be as exciting.

However, we have a reason to worship our God. He sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, taking our punishment upon himself so that we could spend eternal life with God forever.

Doesn’t that just make you want to praise him? Jesus took the blame and paid the debt we owed, and we received the reward. In today’s society, that would seem unjust.

But Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to do this for us. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty humbling.

Every year, my family and I open gifts to celebrate Christmas, but we always remember the real reason for the season. The gifts don’t make Christmas important–at least, not for Christians. Jesus’ birth–and the reason behind his birth–makes all the difference.

Jesus came into this world so that I could be saved from my sins. He came from his throne in heaven to become the son of a lowly carpenter. He took my punishment upon Himself so that I could live with Him forever.

I encourage you to take the time to read this beautiful passage from Isaiah 53. It paints an incredible–and humbling–picture of our Savior.

So what about this Christmas? Will you celebrate it with the usual “Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins, and that’s why we celebrate Christmas”?

Or will you take it to a whole new level?

~

(This is Eliana again.) Thank you for coming on my blog, Julia! This is an awesome message and something that is all too easy to forget at this time of year. =)

Julia also put a post by me on her blog–“5 Tips for Christian Living Bloggers”. If you happen to be a Christian living blogger, be sure to check that out!

What do you think?

Did you enjoy Julia’s post? Do you like Christmas? How do like to celebrate Jesus at this time of year?