Why Should we care about Christmas? (Or, God is coming...So what?)

Hymn: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Scripture: Isaiah 40:10 (also 62:11); Matthew 21:5

"Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him."

Christians recognize this passage and others like it as a reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, Whom the Bible says (in John 1 and elsewhere) is God in the flesh (while remaining fully God). Christmas is the celebration of God coming to earth to live as a man and die for us. It also points to the time when the resurrected JESUS will come again.

But...

Why does Christmas matter? GOD is coming...So what?

Forget your canned theology

What are you looking forward to this Christmas? What do most others say they are looking forward to? Anywhere in the world, Christmas means three things:
Longing...A Deliverer...A gift

Whatever you answered as what you're looking forward to, this Christmas or in your ideal Christmas, they can be summed up with...

EMOTIONAL TIES...MEMORIES OF/WITH OTHERS...WHO GAVE YOU THOSE TIES OR WITH WHOM YOU HAVE THOSE TIES.

THE LONGING...

That is what we long for, emotional ties, security. Even as children, the warmth we remember was SECURITY, PEACE. You could relax with your toys because YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT TO EAT, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, ETC. YOU WERE PROTECTED AND CARED FOR. YOU WERE LOVED ENOUGH TO GET YOUR DESIRES MET...PROTECTION FROM FEAR...PROTECTION FROM LACK; SAFETY FROM DEATH AND HARM...COMFORT AND JOY.

That's what people are looking for today, Someone to give them peace, power, protection. Someone who says they matter, someone to keep them from death and harm.

THE DELIVERER...

Who can we turn to to give us these things?

Arguably, the most powerful person in the world is President Bush. Yet some, when given an opportunity to meet him, would be uninterested. Why? Because what they heard from the news media didn't impress them. They have little regard for the man, or the opinion of him they've derived from what they've heard. Meanwhile, others think of him as a hero. From what this second group heard about President Bush, he is a man of faith, honest, with integrity, and works hard to deliver those things we long for...peace, power, protection. What you expect of him, your desire to meet him or the lack of that desire, depends on what you believe about him and what you believe about him depends on what you've heard about him.

Even if you're an admirer of President Bush, compare how you would feel awaiting his visit to how you felt as a child awaiting the visit of Santa Claus. As much as you admire President Bush, I'd conjecture you felt a lot more excited about Santa Claus.

Now compare how you felt about the coming of Santa Claus with the soon return of Jesus Christ. Do you have the same excitement about the imminent return of JESUS as you did as a child for the arrival of Santa Claus? Why? Why not?

In the Scripture today we see that GOD Himself promises to be our Deliverer. JESUS is identified in Matthew 21:5 as this same LORD GOD who came to earth as a Man to deliver us, to rescue us.

You can bet Herod was excited about JESUS being born for all the wrong reasons. Because it represented a threat to the perception of peace and prosperity he thought he had as ruler. He believed more in Scripture than some of us do because he knew that the coming of the king meant changes.

If we are less excited about the return of JESUS than we were as children about Santa Claus maybe it's because we don't talk about JESUS as much, about His first arrival or his second coming, and the effects that will have. We have given Santa a lot of good press about delivering all good things, but we don't seem to talk about JESUS, the true Deliverer, from sin and to the joys of life, nearly as much.

The longing is for peace, relationship, love. The real Deliverer of all of that, which we hoped for in Santa, is actually fulfilled in JESUS. He brings the fulness we sought with every toy under the tree. He brings the warmth of heart we felt each time we sang a Christmas song. He delivers the ultimate connection that we sought in connections to each other and in families.

THE GIFT...

What's the greatest gift you ever received? The Bible says GOD is bringing Himself. That is what is so exciting about Christmas...

GOD Almighty created us for fellowship with Himself. He wants us back in that relationship. The Second Person of the Trinity, One GOD in three Persons, came to earth as JESUS CHRIST, fully GOD and fully Man to pay what we couldn't pay to bring us back to the Father, to bring us comfort and joy here and now, knowing our sufferings here are only for a moment, and eternal joy awaits better than any Christmas morning, a peace more profound, a joy more exhilerating, a companionship and relationship which those we cherish here only foreshadow.

The greatest Gift is GOD Himself, given to us in JESUS not only in Bethlehem as a Baby, not only here and now, but forever when He returns to take us Home with Himself. All other relationships, gifts, all other tidings of comfort and joy, are only the byproducts, the wrapping paper.

Everyone gets excited as children thinking of Santa coming because he brings what we long for and that reassurance that if we get what we long for we must be loved and can feel secure in that worth. JESUS is so much more. In fact, it was for love of JESUS that a man named Nicholas who we came to know as Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) gave gifts to the poor and inspired the mythical Santa of today. He knew the joy of the greater gift, GOD Himself, wrapped in his heart and soon coming back with a reward for those who long for His appearing.

GOD is coming...JESUS will be here soon...He is bringing the fulfillment of more than you can imagine and your wildest childish hopes for comfort, companionship, and completeness, if only you will take Him at His word that He paid it all for you.
GOD is coming...REJOICE!