“What’s the Point of Christmas?”
December 17, 2006
Me: Christmas is such a big deal in our culture. Granted, there are many people who would like to see the religious element of Christmas removed, but the holiday is still a really huge event. An entire month, or more in reality, is dedicated to the concept and the celebration of Christmas. Stores are decorated, radio stations play different music, and people go into a rush to buy the latest fad gift for that special someone.
I found myself standing in a store recently thinking of all the junk that goes with celebrating Christmas. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not some kind of scrooge that just wants to get it over with. I love Christmas. I love the smells, the sounds and the sights. But recently I was just overwhelmed with the sense of wondering what it all is for.
You: Do you ever feel that way? Have you ever just had this feeling in the middle of the Christmas season where you asked, “What is this all for?”
Today I want to help us look at the spiritual side of Christmas and ask the question, what is the point? I want us to really take a look and think about why Jesus showed up on earth two thousand years ago and what could possibly be the lesson and application for us today.
God: There is a passage of scripture where Jesus himself reveals why he came to earth. It is found in Luke 4:16-21.
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21
This event takes place in Jesus’ adult life. It is a common occurrence for men to read the scroll in the synagogue during worship. When it is Jesus’ turn, this is the passage that he read. What he is saying in this passage is that the promise that the peole had heard their entire lives was now being confirmed in him.
Let’s go back and look at the original text and see what lessons we can learn about Jesus coming to earth.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
Jesus came to bring good news to humanity.
When the bible speaks of good news, it is speaking of an eternal nature, and not merely a physical or earthly event. Everyone likes good news. We wait until the last few minutes of the nightly news to find the one or two feel good stories for the day. We wait in anticipation for the arrival of babies to hear the good news that they are healthy.
When Jesus came to earth, it was to bring humanity spiritual good news.
When Jesus reads this passage, he makes it very clear that he is talking about himself.
The life that Jesus lived on earth was designed to show us the life God intended for humanity.
God created us to live in relationship with him, but we chose to fulfill our evil desires instead of the desires of God. That is why it was necessary for Jesus to come and help us overcome the evil desires of our hearts.
Mankind had tried everything possible to live the life God intended. From following Gods laws that he gave to Moses, to adding to those laws, mankind was in a continual pursuit to live up to Gods design. But we never could.
So what happened? Well, we found ourselves living a life of bondage and captivity that God never intended for us to live. Ultimately he gave us Jesus to free us from this life.
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
Jesus came to give us what we could not attain on our own.
Freedom- “Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34
Light- “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
Comfort- “May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.” Psalm 119:76
The life of Jesus took our shame and turned it into celebration.
Jesus gave us a crown instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning and praise instead of despair. In doing so, Jesus showed us the life God intended for us.
Mankind had tried everything to live up to God’s desires for us. But we continually fell short because we were trying to find eternal truths in temporary solutions.
When Jesus came to earth, he became the eternal solution for mankind’s problems.
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV)
God spoke to us in many ways. He spoke directly to Adam and Eve and enjoyed relationship with them until they turned away form his commands. He spoke to people through the laws he gave to Moses to show us how to live. Humans added rules and regulations to God’s laws to try and find meaning, and still could not measure up to the life God intended.
The religious leaders developed a religious system of 613 laws. They chose the number 613 because that was how many separate letters there were in the text containing the Ten Commandments. Then they found 613 commandments int eh first five books fo the Old Testament. They divided the list into affirmative commands and negative commands. There were 248 affirmative commands, one for every part of the human body as they understood it. There were 365 negative commands; one for every day of the year. Followers of God were expected to know these laws and live according to them. Can you see how you might feel overwhelmed and captive in trying to live this out? Jesus came to change all of that.
Jesus took all of the 613 laws and narrowed them to two.
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)
This changes the whole concept of what it means to follow God.
So, what is the point of Christmas?
The point of Christmas is that the love and life of Jesus would impact us so that we become a representation of God here on earth.
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3
As human beings we spend our lives trying to make our life count for something. We want to shine and reflect something meaningful and important. In order to do that, we must begin to live the life that God has designed for us that is made possible through Jesus.
One of the great things about Christmas is all the incredible light displays that you see. Some people are just amazing at being able to decorate their houses to reflect the joy of Christmas. I love looking at Christmas lights and seeing everyone’s design for Christmas celebrations.
** Show pictures of Christmas lights
The implication: When our lives are fully devoted to Christ, we shine as a display of the glory of God.
You: Is your life shining as a reflection of what Jesus has accomplished in your life? When people look at the actions and attitudes of your life, do they see the splendor of God?
We: Each of us needs to make a choice that this Christmas, we are going to life our lives as a reflection of the majesty and glory of God come to earth in the person of Jesus.
