When the Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, wrote about Christmas in the Bible, they described it as a miraculous entrance of the Messiah into our world. Both writers believed Jesus’ entrance was a virgin birth orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, where he caused a human, Mary, to become pregnant with God’s son. 

That’s the true meaning of Christmas. 

Christmas was never intended to be about lavishing gifts on each other. It was intended to celebrate what God lavished upon us; his son. That God gave his son returned hope to the human race, because it offered an opportunity for us to again know God. What a gift to celebrate.

The Gospel writer, John, said it this way in John 1:14 (ESV): And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

The Word, Jesus Christ, introduced us to God’s grace and truth. The truth is that we are all sinners that desperately need God’s grace. It is God’s grace that shows a loving God forgiving us so that we can again know him. And so, as we read the Gospels, we see a loving savior, Jesus, continuously inviting us to come to him. He said things like, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” “I am the bread of life.” “I am living water.” “I am resurrection and life.” 

Unfortunately, to our detriment, we have reduced Christmas to where we often do not even acknowledge his existence. We’ve replaced Jesus with Santa Claus, and Jesus’ coming with the coming of “Black Friday.” And sadly, Good Friday and Easter, the days when we should naturally celebrate the coming of Jesus to die on a cross for our sins, we’ve even reduced those days to bunnies, colored eggs and assorted candies.

If I’ve offended some of you with this indictment, might it help you to realize how such actions might offend God? 

I’m not trying to be a complainer, I’m trying to get all of us to rethink how we celebrate Christmas. And so, I’m asking you to again make Christmas a celebration of what God lavished upon you; his son. 

I’m not suggesting that you quit giving gifts. I’m suggesting that you give to draw attention to God’s son. And, I’m hoping that may cause you to rethink the kind of gifts you give, and even how and to whom you give them. I’ve known families who have limited their gifts to each other to given them to another family, so they could celebrate the coming of God’s son with that family who had almost nothing. I’ve known families who have decided to spend their day at a soup kitchen, just so they could demonstrate God’s love to people often neglected. I’ve known families who have adopted elderly people who have no family, just so they could celebrate how Jesus truly makes us family. Imagine the impact upon children who have opportunity to be involved in that kind of selflessness! Certainly they might be more open to listening to and might even prefer the real Christmas story, “Jesus was born in a manger,” to the alternative story, “The Night before Christmas when all through the house…”

I hope my devotional has left you less offended and more motivated to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas this year. 

God bless you and Merry Christmas to you all!

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Rick Haworth is pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Monroe.