I'm sure you've heard it many times, but in "Christmas" is the word "Christ." Christmas. Christ is at the center of this holiday, and no matter how much this culture tries to deny that, whether by saying some other greeting without His name in it, or insisting this holiday is just about giving or love, it all comes back to Christ.
No matter how much the world tries, it can't get rid of Christ. Especially not at Christmas.
Some people say Christmas is all about love. Well, it is! It's about God showing us His perfect love though Jesus, and then Jesus showing us His perfect love to God and also to us by obeying His Father.
Others saying Christmas is about giving. God gave Jesus to us and we celebrate His earthly birth. That is why we give gifts at Christmas - to remember the ultimate gift God gave to us.
See, even though people try to take away Christ from Christmas, they still grab parts of the truth and part of His actions. Just as Christ is at the center of "Merry Christmas," so should Christ be in the center of your heart - this year and always.
Quick shoutout to my amazing guest writers, Drew, Emma, Gabriel Brown, Gloria Kluth and Leanne Zuiderveen. Couldn't have done this series without you guys, so thank you for all the time and effort you threw into your beautiful posts. You. Are. Awesome!
Lastly, thank YOU, my readers, for sticking around and reading my blog. Hope you have a fabulous holiday celebrating the birth of our amazing Savior. May God bless you with the incredible joy that comes with knowing the truth about Christ - His perfect love, example and sacrifice given to us so we could become sons of God. Merry Christmas.
Another VERIDIA song! "Mechanical Planet" is my top favorite. It's empowering, with an addicting rhythm and fierce message.
Set in the perspective of regret, the first verse begins with:
I'm your regret I'll/make you forget all/you were made to be
How many times have you regretted something you've done, or something you didn't do? I've done it plenty of times. I've regretted not speaking up for an innocent person. I've regretted speaking harshly to that friend. I've regretted not spending my time better. Regret can kill you. It will make you hate who you are and wish for the moments you wasted. The danger of it is it can make you unsatisfied, fast, especially because often, there's nothing we can do to get those moments back. The chorus of the song goes like this:
I never want you to know/you were made for perfection/not created defective/on this mechanical planet/you were not made to be/just some broken machine/on this/mechanical planet
See, regret is Satan's whisper. He's the Prince of Lies, and he'll do anything he can to distract you and keep you from accepting the truth. Satan wants you to believe that you're defective, broken and worthless. He wants to keep you from clearly seeing who you are - who God made you to be. Friends, God made each and every one of you for a special purpose. You are not worthless; you are priceless. You are not hopeless; there is always hope. God created worth in you and a beautiful purpose; something only you can fulfill with His power.
Don't let this mechanical planet deceive you. You're not a broken machine; you were made for perfection!
"It's the most wonderful time of the year." In this season, it's not hard to notice that. There's the cheery red and green decorations. The songs that everyone knows the lyrics to. The happy spirit. The time together with family. The joy of giving. That's what Christmas is all about.
At least...that's what most people say it's about. Is Christmas really about Jesus' birthday? It does have "Christ" right in its name. Originally derived from the words "Christ's Mass," "Christmas" means the festival of commemorating Christ's birth. But why would we celebrate this baby's birth? A few weeks ago, I performed in a skit about holiday vacations. The main character, a client, was exploring different vacations. As the skit unfolded, the main character realized that Christmas isn't about just chillaxing on the couch doing nothing, but it isn't about busying ourselves with seasonal activities either. It's about celebrating Jesus' birth because of the rebirth He granted us by coming down to lowly earth as a man, as 1 John 4:9-10 says.
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
See, just because Jesus was born thousands of years ago doesn't mean it doesn't affect us now. Instead, it's actually the opposite! Jesus' birth not only affected humans during his time, but it also affected humans living before him as well as after him. Not only that, but His birth fulfilled a host of prophecies. Read these verses from the Bible about Christmas:
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
"Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
About 2000 years ago, a young betrothed virgin, Mary, was visited by the angel, Gabriel. Gabriel told her she was with child, and that the baby that was to be born was the promised one - God incarnate. Well, Mary was rather frightened, however, her response to this was to worship the Lord. Our response should be like that of Mary's. When we think of Jesus' miraculous birth, that should cause us to worship God even more!
Friends, during this busy season, don't forget to press pause on your busy schedules. Stop and think about how amazing this God is. He had His son, Jesus, humble himself into a lowly man so that He could minister to the Jews and Gentiles about the good news. He did this for you! Jesus loves you so much that He was willing to sort of demote himself and take away your punishment and carry it on His back as if it was His own. Are you willing to accept Him into your heart? Are you willing to push aside the hustle-bustle of this season and stop to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas? Once you do, you will really understand just why it's the most wonderful time of the year. There are songs of Jesus' birth playing everywhere to remind us of the great news. You'll appreciate sharing this wonderful joy with your family. And you'll realize that Christmas is actually about giving and getting. God gave us Jesus, so that we could get eternal life. And that, my friends, is what Christmas is truly all about.
