I read this article 10 days ago as the commercial Christmas hype really shifted into top gear. It struck me that the article places Jesus as the underdog in the race for the meaning of Christmas!
John Lewis and Sainsbury’s do not have, and never will have the “soul” of Christmas. There is no competition when it comes to finding the true meaning of Christmas, no matter how much money the commercial world spends trying to convince us otherwise.
Christmas starts with Christ – he is not character in fairy story that can be confined to a 30 second advert on TV, nor the imagination of a marketing group searching for a winning Festive soundbite. Neither is he a superstition, a mythical creature, nor a nice story for children to act out in a school play. He is the son of God, and Christmas is a celebration of his arrival on this earth as a baby as God’s plan to save us from our selfishness and give us eternal hope.
Many in our society would think this is crazy and far-fetched because we seem to have drifted so far from the true meaning of Christmas that a large portion of our population don’t even know who Jesus is, let alone why he came! I guess that it shouldn’t come as surprise that Jesus is now largely ignored at Christmas. If people don’t see a need for him during the rest of the year, why should Christmas be any different. I think it is more crazy that people spend thousands of pounds every December to celebrate an event that they are ignorant of, or disbelieve altogether!
Jesus came to earth in a miraculous but understated way, and this was largely the pattern for his ministry. However, when it came to the battle over sin and death he was, and is the undisputed champion. In a battle for supremacy at Christmas, in fact anything at all, Jesus wins hands down! There really isn’t any contest!
Happy Christmas!
Strength For The Battle 