The Real Meaning of Christmas

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!” (Isaac Watts) Most do not know the real meaning of the Christian Christmas holiday. In fact many are marking out “Christ” and replacing with an X – Xmas, or completely getting rid of the term, “Merry Christmas,” and now say “Happy Holidays.” The secular world doesn’t want Christ to have any part of these holidays. Actually, the name Christmas comes from the term, Christ’s Mass, which comes from the Catholic Church, to mean “the worship of Christ.” But has been infiltrated, distorted, and polluted by many heathen practices. But the Christian Church has embraced the idea of celebrating the coming of Christ into the world to bring about our salvation. Jesus Christ probably was not born on December 25, or even in December, but Christians wanted to have a “special day” to celebrate the free Gift from God the Father to us that by accepting Him we might be “saved.” The tree and the decorations are just part of our celebration to commemorate God’s magnanimous Gift. We celebrate with a pure heart toward God, the only God, Who is pure, all powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, and all loving God. Because of His love for us, God the Father gave Jesus Christ to us in the form of a baby. All this is to say, the true meaning of Christmas is LOVE, so what is real love? Real love “gives.” John 3:16 tells that God so loved the world (all of us) that He gave. He loved us so much that He was willing to give His most precious Gift, His Son, Jesus, to live and die for us so that those who would accept and commit to Him and become His children, so we could one day live with Him! Real love “gives.” It gives our very “self.” Read, study and meditate on this chapter of scripture to learn, or learn again, the real meaning of Christmas. The theme of every book in the Bible, in some way, is about the love of God. I can be the most talented, so I can speak in the tongues of men and even of angels, but have not that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion that God’s love inspires in me, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And I may have so much faith so I can remove mountains; and if I can understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am a useless nobody. Even if I dole out all that I have to the poor to provide food, and if I surrender my body to be burned (that I may gain glory), but have not God’s love in me, I gain nothing (I Cor.13:1-3 Amp). Verse 4&5 says that “true love” endures long and is patient and kind, and is not envious, nor jealous, boastful, nor conceited, nor rude, and does not displays itself haughtily. God’s love in us does not insist on its own rights or its own way; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful. God’s love in us causes us to be humble – we know from Whom all our abilities and our very life come. Real love “forgives.” I Cor.13:5c (Amp.) says “real love” takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong). Verse 7 says that real love bears up under anything and everything that comes, it is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening. In verses 6&8 it says that God’s kind of love does not rejoice in injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. It believes the best of every person. God’s love never fails, never fades out or becomes obsolete. Faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is LOVE! God is love! Love is His Essence, His DNA. He can do no less than love, He cannot change! He loved us when He knew us before we were born. He loved us while we were still sinners. That is why He willingly came to earth as a baby, to live a despised life by many, to die a hideous death on the cross for us, and He continues to love us from His place at the right hand of the Father. He sent His Holy Spirit to convince us of our sin and that Jesus loves us and is our Savior. The Holy Spirit will stay with us to keep, guide and comfort us. He prays for us that we will accept Him and commit our lives to Him. This is what Christmas is really all about – LOVE! Jesus gives us a “new commandment” in John 13:34 to, “Love one another as I have loved you.” May we all grasp and cling to His love for us, may it change us, may we internalize it and make it our own to expend on all with whom we come in contact, the good and the bad. That’s what Christmas is all about! Because Jesus came as a baby, lived as a man, died as our Savior, rose as our conqueror, and is our soon coming King, we can joyfully say, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!