Celebrating Christ

In Isaiah 7:14 we read the announcement of the forthcoming Messiah. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” We see this prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 1:21-23. “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ (which means, God with us)."

This is such a special time of year for so many of us. Children get excited because they get toys and games they have longed for. Parents get excited because it is such a joy to see their children happy. Many of us get excited because this is one of the few occasions during the year that we actually get to see and be with all of our families at the same time. And certainly there is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is right. These are definitely reasons that we should be excited about the holiday season.

However, I would hope that this is not the only time of year that some people decide to get “religious” or "spiritual." Often, people may choose this as the only time of year to follow Jesus, express their love to Him, and celebrate His wonderful birth. Such would be unfortunate because the effects of His cross and the joy of our salvation is something that should radiate all year around.

Please understand that my intentions are certainly not to discourage people from being spiritually minded and celebrating Christ during the Christmas season. I am actually hoping to encourage it. My point here is that perhaps each and every day of the year should be a special day for loving God and appreciating Christ’s coming to earth in the form of man. The aforementioned verses indicate that the Messiah’s coming into this world was a much-anticipated event. Now it has happened. So, how do we respond? Let us rejoice indeed! And I personally think it is great that our culture has set aside a time of the year to honor our great King. But do we love God enough to show our commitment to Christ 365 days per year?

May we all have a wonderful holiday season. May the Lord bless us and keep us safe during this joyous time of year. May we all strive to have the spirit of Christ every day as we enjoy the blessings of His beautiful kingdom.