Day 25: The REAL Meaning of Christmas

Matthew 12:21
And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

John 1:14
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Here we are!  It is Christmas and I will now share what I believe to be the real meaning of Christmas.  Now I assure you this is my own opinion and after having traveled the road to the manger with me, I hope you will come to your own conclusion of what the real meaning of Christmas is in your lives.  I feel on this day, Hope was born.  Now we have discovered that our Father has not given us any specific date for celebration and this brings me to a place where I have decided this truth for my current journey of faith:  The birth of the Jesus is a cause for celebration but then also of equal importance is His death.  Since a date for neither is provided, should we not celebrate DAILY the manger and the cross? The birth and the death?

Every day we should wake up and thank God for Jesus and this means the birth and the death for without either, we would be in quite a predicament.  If we were to celebrate each day this awesome Gift, it would be open to all religions and there would not be a need for all the disagreements of how it should be celebrated.  If we took the time to celebrate every day, gift giving or giving of ourselves would be a daily occurrence.  We could surprise someone with a love gift and not have to say, “tis the season”, it would just be the right moment.  Can you imagine for a moment what it would be like to have “Christmas” or “Easter” every day?  It would remove the stress and the planning and make the moment of giving so much more rewarding because the gift would be spontaneous and not planned out.

If we spent more time just sharing love instead of planning for these holidays, we could reach so many more hearts.  For some, these holidays are the ONLY time they spend with Jesus.  For others, it is the ONLY time spent with certain family members and sometimes that is only because it is “required” because of the “Holidays”.  I mean no offense by this blog, I am simply showing a side that even I have not really seen before now.  I think sometimes our focus is so far off base we cannot see the real meaning of the birth or the death.  Everyday is a gift from God, why should we not be of the same attitude towards others?  I love the idea of the holidays, do not get me wrong but at the heart of today, there was love.  I spent time with family and enjoyed just being with them.  I gave gifts to my children and I did this out of love, not obligation.  I feel as though I would like to spend more of these days together.

Jesus was born to give us Hope and if we are following in faith, the love God intended can emerge into this fallen world but it will be difficult if we continue to focus on these things only twice a year.  Jesus needs to be an everyday of presenting ourselves to be used by God so that the Gift of His son will have relevance in the lives of those who do not yet know Him as their savior.  As we followed the star and listened to the shepherds, saw the wise men in search of a King, our faith was ignited that hope was laying in a manger.  We finally had a moment to hold onto, a place in time where life could begin to make sense.  This birth of Hope is eternal and so is the death.

I pray all will find peace on earth as they seek Jesus first in their lives.  I Hope your Merry Christmas will be bright as you follow the star in faith.  May your Season Greetings become , “How can I help you today?”.  Perhaps your Happy Holidays will turn into days of celebration.  Hopefully Tis the Season will fashion itself into days of thanksgiving and a willingness to give to others.  Let’s make Christmas and Easter a part of everyday for as a very wise teacher taught me once upon a time, it is always today.  Today is the day Jesus is born.  Today is the day Jesus died. Today is the day when all things are possible.  Why not make today count so God may be glorified, today.

So as I conclude this 25 day blog on the REAL meaning of Christmas, I hope I have inspired some changes in the perspective of why we celebrate the way we do.  Maybe this is a moment in time where we can all just take a few moments and reflect upon what it all means in our lives.  Being a believer in Jesus means we are here to deliver hope to the hopeless and love to the lost.  We are to be about the Fathers’ business everyday of our lives.  Surely Santa was a grand idea, but a fairy tale for sure.  Some say Jesus is a fairy tale too, but I beg to differ.  The Happy Ending I am seeking is in heaven, a place of peace and tranquility, the purpose of my journey as a Christian, a daughter of the King.  May your heart be touched forever by the hope found in the manger, because when all that has been prophesied is said and done, will we be in our mansions in heaven or left behind?  The choice is up to each of us.  Who will receive your utmost attention?  Jesus or worldly traditions?  Use your faith to choose.  Be Blessed!