It is after 10 pm on Christmas Eve. We are getting ready to celebrate the fourth and final service of the night. 4:00, 5:30, 7:30 and next 11:00. It is stunning to me that people celebrate Christmas but choose not to worship Jesus on Christmas. It makes no sense.
I have seen enough movies and TV shows to know that the popular explanation of the "true meaning of Christmas" is family. Personally, I love my family and cherish them. But the true meaning of Christmas has little to do with family. For one thing, it implies that people without families cannot experience Christmas. It also ignores the fact that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas. The nativity (birth) of Jesus is the incarnation (God become man) which bridges the gap between fallen humanity and a rejected God. That Gift of God's Son is the point.
I do not intend to insult the love of family or belittle family gatherings. Eating together and sharing gifts is a wonderful thing. But to do all that and fail to factor in worship makes no sense. Christmas without Jesus, without praise of the God Who gave us the gift of Jesus, is empty. I pray that you all have a holy and blessed Christmas.
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