THE
TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
by Ben Farrar,
Pastor, First Baptist Church
It
was my honor to be given the task of writing an article about the true meaning
of Christmas. I hope you will find the
answer as beautiful as it is surprising.
The
true meaning of Christmas can be summed up in one word: gifts. That’s right-gifts. And none of that silliness about giving gifts,
either. Christmas is about receiving
presents, and one present in particular.
For
you see, Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate the best gift ever
given-the gift of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is the time when God Himself became a man, and gave Himself to
us as a gift. You have heard that Jesus
died for us, and this is true. But Jesus
also lived for us. For thirty-three
years, He lived among us as a man, suffering all the things we suffer, and
spending all of his time working to save the human race. And in His last moments on this earth, as He
died in terrible pain, He shed His own blood so that the punishment for our
sins would fall on Him.
By
giving us the gift of Himself, Jesus changed the entire world for the better,
so that there is now hope for the human race.
Thanks to the gift He gave us at Christmas, we now have a God who sees
our suffering and says, “I know just how you feel. I’ve been there.” We have a God who has given up everything so
that we could be forgiven for the evil things we have done. We have a God who offers us Heaven, as a
gift. The little gifts that we give each
other at Christmas are only pale reflections of that one, awe-inspiring gift
that was given to us two thousand years ago.
We give gifts to the people we love BECAUSE we have received a great
gift from God, who loves us.
But
like any gift, it isn’t yours unless you accept it. And accepting this greatest of all gifts is
as easy as falling in love. Just talk to
God and confess that you have done wrong in His sight. Trust that Jesus really did live His life for
you, and died to take your punishment.
Ask Him to forgive you. Then ask
Him to help you follow him all the days of your life. Then the gift of Heaven will be yours. Merry Christmas, Eagle Butte! May you all enjoy the blessing that God
offers you!
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