Christmas is undoubtedly the most recognized and celebrated holiday around the world, and the owner of its namesake easily the most known human in all of history, and for good reason. No human being has ever had the impact of Jesus Christ – alive or dead or resurrected.
For most people throughout history, Jesus was either an archetype or, for those of us since His resurrection, an almost mythical figure we try to know through stories and legend. At Christmastime, we are reminded of His miraculous birth, immaculately conceived, heralded by angels singing to shepherds, and visited by star-seeking Magi from the Far East. The story of His birth alone is larger than life and one that is known worldwide. A birth so significant we set the human calendar by it (B.C. Before Christ, A.D. Anno Domini / “Year of the Lord”).
Christmastime is special for many reasons, however, it has taken on a parallel meaning for many. Rather than a celebration of God’s gift of salvation wrapped in a manger, it has become a commercial festival of gifts wrapped by Amazon and under a tree. Though the gift-giving and seasonal flavor are nice they pale in comparison to the real reason for the season, which is Christ Himself, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The One who’s name is above all names and titles are above all titles because, He was not just the Son of God, He is God the Son, and there is an important distinction.
The title Son of God can often be construed as Jesus was somehow lesser than God, yet that is not the case at all. He said so Himself, and Paul reiterates it in the book of Colossians:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15&16)
Consider again then why this time of year is so special and why our ancestors sought fit to reorient time itself to His birth. Christ is God Himself come to dwell and reveal the God we all wonder about to us – Emmanuel i.e. “God with us”. It’s in this very act we see the God of the Universe, creator of all things – Heavens and Earth – chooses to be known by us, not just believed in. Again, He said so to the prophet Jeremiah:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
This seems to be the mistake so many people who wrestle with God fail to grasp, the full-hearted seeking of Him now that He chooses not to be physically with us. This is the core of faith and also the way to build it. It can almost seem like He’s playing an impossible game of hide and seek, but He isn’t. He is there, and He wants you to know He’s there, and He’s given you the way to know it.
Many of us fail to seek with all of our hearts because we either believe our half-hearted attempts were good enough or we lose faith in world that falls so horribly short of even our minimal hopes and expectations we don’t want to suffer the thought God is the ultimate disappointment by not being real.
Even though our ancestors from all over the world changed times, penned scripture, faithfully shared their testimonies, wrote songs, and even made His word the best-selling and most-distributed book of all time, the worry that God won’t meet us in this life in a way that is meaningful and assuring is often too much to bear to risk putting our entire heart on the line. The thought of the disappointment can be too painful, and for many who no longer believe they have walked through that pain sorely disappointed. Why God? Why haven’t you answered me?
I, too, was once in that place in life, ready to give up on any hope God was real let alone good or trustworthy. At perhaps my lowest point in life, which is often precisely where He needs you to be to cry out with all your heart, is when He met me for the first time in a way I couldn’t deny was Jesus, God the Son.
Despite my disdain for Christians and their book, I was so broken and lost I figured, “what did I have to lose?” having lost almost everything. From a humble and contrite heart, I finally let go of my anger, bitterness, and resentment toward God for the horrible life I’d lived and asked Him for help. More specifically, I asked Jesus, having learned from some Christians, to ask in His name as He says to in the gospel of John:
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24)
And I kept asking and kept talking to the Jesus I couldn’t see. And He kept answering in ways I couldn’t deny – someone was listening. Though I doubted at times and chalked it up to coincidence, I kept going back to the same well and asking again, in His name, always humble and always trusting the same Jesus would answer again. He did, again, and again, and again.
It’s been twenty years since I started to seek Him with all my heart, and it’s been twenty years of a life punctuated by divine answers to my deepest needs and warmest desires. I have come to know Him and, more importantly, come to know He knows me and my needs better than I know myself. The comfort and peace that come with that are beyond description, but they are as real as the sun in the sky.
It was angels that knew God who broke into song that night, just like those who have known Him throughout history are compelled to do the same. It’s in the knowing Him that our souls rejoice and are comforted to know the Christ of Christmas. The one who healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, calmed the raging storms, and walked among mankind long enough to change the very way we view history and also how we consider eternity.
So this Christmas, I hope you stop and listen to the words and consider Who it is about which it is sung.
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let Heaven and nature sing!”
He is more than a song and a set of legendary stories. He is the God who made you and wants to know you, and you to know Him, at Christmas and every day unto eternity.
Merry Christmas!