Christmas Story

Luke 2:10-11
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Every Christmas, in churches all over the US and throughout the world, a message is preached about the nativity. It is a message that more than a few preachers can't wait to preach. And has probably been heard by more people than about the crucifixion. I say this because there have been cartoons, movies and books, Christmas cards, pictures and songs that talk about the birth of Jesus that has exposed many to this spectacular event. Not to mention that many people only go to church a few times during the year and Christmas is one of those times. We like hearing about the angel coming to Mary and Joseph and about Elizabeth and Zachariah and about the birth of Jesus. But the birth is not the most important thing we can focus on at this time of the year.

In the verse above after Jesus was born an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields and told them of the birth. In short the angel said to them ' I have good news for everyone, because today your Savior the Messiah has been born.' It was like telling them that prophecy was being fulfilled. We place so much emphasis on the birth that many times even preachers loose sight of the real meaning. Its more than just the baby Jesus being born in a stable and laid in a manger. But its about the Savior of the world being here among us. The birth, and all of what led up to it, was prophecy being fulfilled that showed who Jesus was. And it is important that we know of the birth and all that pertained to it, but more important that we know the whole story.

As you read through the books that make up the New Testament you find records of the birth in only two of these books, Matthew and Luke, and you never hear of them again. Does that mean its not important? no, it is very important but not as important as the crucifixion. Without Jesus death, the birth would mean nothing. All through His life, the miracles, the teachings and all the good He did, mean nothing without the cross. Why is the birth not recorded in the writings of Paul and the other Apostles? because it is not important to salvation. Paul said that he preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried and risen from the dead on the third day. These are the things important to salvation. The things that happened in Jesus' life fulfilled prophecy and gave witness to who He was, just as the angels told the shepherds, Christ the Lord.

It's hard for us to picture Jesus laying in a manger and trying to understand that His only purpose for being born was to die a cruel death. That He was sent here to the earth for the express purpose of dying on a cross for our sins. As Jesus lay in that manger He only had a life that was going to last 33 years on the earth. But He was going to live forever, at the right hand of the Father, in heaven. That when Mary brought Him into the world, it was His first step on the road to the cross.

People have placed so much emphasis on the birth and the miracles that surround Jesus' life, it sometimes overpowers the real meaning of the Gospel because it puts our focus elsewhere. The virgin birth is important but it doesn't save, His first miracle at Cana was important but it doesn't save, Jesus calming the storm and walking on water was important but they do not save and even the healing of the sick and raising people from the dead is important but they don't save.

Christmas is more than just baby Jesus laying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, deprived of the comforts of a house to be born in. Its about our Savior coming to earth to die for our sins. Its about salvation being given to a lost and dying world. Its about the Son of God, Jesus, that died on a cross 33 years later, so that we could have a relationship with God and receive life.