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What is your favorite Christmas story?
Does it go something like this?
A struggling professional lady travels to her hometown to see family and runs into an old boyfriend, who may or may not be successful. He has a dog. A young child sees the obvious attraction between the old flames and encourages them to work through their hurts and disappointments. A grandparent, aunt, or uncle works with the child and dog to arrange a romantic interlude, which fails miserably. The professional lady and the old boyfriend have separate moments of serendipity which lead to a complete and enduring reconciliation on Christmas Eve, and it snows.
How about this version?
A pregnant young lady and her fiancé travel to his family’s hometown, only to find out that the town’s inn is too full for them to stay. Their baby’s birth is proclaimed by angels to local shepherds who then tell everyone else they meet. A couple years later, some dignitaries show up at the family’s house and give a bunch of expensive gifts to the toddler. The story ends with a sudden trip to another country.
Christmas Scriptures
When we talk about Christmas, do you ever ask people about their favorite Christmas scriptures? Those who read the Bible will usually point to passages in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. They both give us information about Jesus’ birth.
Matthew emphasizes the Kingship of the Child. He tells us about angels talking to Joseph, the Magi coming to see Jesus, Herod’s decimation of Bethlehem, and the flight to Egypt. Matthew wrote to Jews who were looking for the promised God-King and Messiah, so he cites Old Testament scriptures that are fulfilled by these events.
Luke emphasized the impossible circumstances and the humanness of Jesus’ birth. He tells the story from Mary’s perspective, describing Gabriel’s message and her amazement at being chosen, the frustration of not having a crib, the angel’s announcement to the shepherds, and the joy of Simeon and Anna at seeing Jesus. Luke wrote to believers who received Jesus as a very human Savior and Redeemer.
I love the Christmas accounts, they tell of God’s love for us, displayed in his care for the young family whom He chose to create the home in which He would grow up.
My Favorite
My favorite Christmas scripture is not in Matthew or Luke, but in John. John doesn’t give us any details surrounding Jesus’ birth, but he points out who He was before His birth. Matthew starts with Jesus’ genealogy starting from Abraham, and Luke lists His ancestry back to Adam. John goes further back, simply stating,
In the beginning was the Word. John 1:1*
John emphasizes the sovereignty of Almighty God’s Word – the thoughts and intents behind the written and spoken words of absolute truth; the life-giving, creative word that is the source of all light and life, sent to save us from our sins. Then he proclaims:
The Word became flesh, and lived among us. John 1:14a
That’s my favorite Christmas scripture. The all-powerful God’s essence, intent, and words became the image of God and the image of man, took on our flesh, and lived with us. It was so evident that he was God In the flesh that John said,
We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14b
Why Christmas?
The whole point of the Christmas season is to emphasize that Jesus was Emmanuel, God With Us (Matthew 1:23). Paul describes the importance of the Incarnation (Christmas) to the Philippians:
…Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 1and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
The great God put aside all his heavenly glory to save us by offering his own human life as the full payment for our sin. Then he was (and still is) highly exalted above everything else, and everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord.
I love Christmas because it reminds me of the love that paid everything to allow me to enter into fellowship with the holy and righteous God. (Hebrews 10:19-23)
Christmas reminds me of my heinous sin that requires a punishment that only a holy sacrifice could cleanse. (Hebrews 9:13-14)
Christmas also reminds me that the reality of my sin is overcome by the truth of his grace, and for that I am grateful, and celebrate.
My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Luke 1:46-47
May you be blessed by all the Christmas reminders this year.
By His calling, in His strength,
Dean
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*All Scripture quotations in this article are from the World English Bible (WEB).
Pop-up scripture references are from the New King James Version (NKJV).
