Unto Us A Child Is Born.....Isaiah 9:6

"For unto 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." Isaiah 9:6

"Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man."

Christmas is a special time for most people, but especially for followers of Jesus. Christmas is celebrated all across this planet in a variety of ways. Families have traditions that are often passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes the traditions don't even make sense to the younger generation but they practice and celebrate it anyways. 

Churches and religions have their traditions as well. Once such tradition still celebrated in many churches/religions is Advent. What does Advent mean? The word "advent" comes from Latin "advnetus" meaning "arrival" or "coming," particularly of something have great importance. The first coming of Jesus Christ was the most significant historical event that has ever occurred. The "arrival" of the promised Messiah has changed the world forever. Old Testament prophecies takes us on a journey of Jesus Christ and the New Testament describes how the maker of heaven and earth came humbly to be born to eventually die for the sins of the world. 

There is nothing wrong with tradition but many have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights on the windows, the turkey (or whatever tradition meal you eat) with your family and friends, snow in the yard, and shouts of Merry Christmas? Is this really Christmas?

For many it's a time of sorrow because they do not have the extra money to buy gifts for their children, family and friends. Others are sadden because their loved ones will not be able to make it for one reason or another. Turkey dinners may only be a wish and not a reality for others. 

However, Christmas should be a time of great joy. It's a time of God showing His great love for us. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. See Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God sent His son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men and angels all joined in the joy and excitement of knowing about this great event! They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child. 

Why did He come? Why did God send His Son to this cruel world? John 3:17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." He sent Him because in Him there is truth, love and hope and through Him we have salvation; otherwise we would die in sin.  He was born so one day He could die for us. He was born to then pay the price for everything we have done and will do wrong. We all sin; we all do things that are sin. We have inherited the sin nature because of Adam and Eve. We are born in sin nature. We need to be removed from the sinful nature and the only way this can be removed is through Jesus Christ. Jesus was born to then die on that cross for ALL of our sins. If you believe that He was born and then died for our sins we need to ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then we can be clean and made whole. 

1 John 1:9 "But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong."

Don't forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Don't forget that Christmas is the birth of Jesus but also remember the reason and purpose for His birth. The best gift you can receive today is the gift of salvation. This is the year to ask Jesus into your heart. To start off the New Year full of peace and joy then you will truly have a Merry Christmas. 

Many Christians have changed the way they would celebrate Christmas in regards to their worship services. Now they are more relaxed and more involved in the hustle of this world with shopping and family and parties. I remember when I was growing up we would have worship services on Christmas Eve. Those were the best services ever. They had special programs. Now there are very few churches that are even open on Christmas Eve and many don't even do any Christmas programs. I hope that you have not lost the spirit of Christmas and that you can still worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Merry Christmas!