Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” -- Luke 2:11

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” -- Acts 4:12

 

Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is almost here. From the time of this writing, it is only five days away. You can look around and see all the Christmas decorations adorning the houses and stores. There are lights aglow, stockings that are hung by the fireplace with care and boughs of holly deck our halls, but why do we celebrate Christmas?

Is it so that we can get an extra day off work? Is it so that we can give and receive gifts? Is it something the stores invented in order to boast up their profit margin?

It’s not about any of these things. It’s all because of a birth that happened approximately 2000 years ago; the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came to this earth “to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus Himself tells us that He is “the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

Jesus had to be born in order to die. He shed His blood and died on Calvary to that we may have life. Three days later, He was resurrected to that we might follow Him in the resurrection and live for all eternity.

We are living today in a sea of information and technology; in fact, we are drowning in it. Our financial outlook is dim. Despite all of this, our need was not a scientist or an economist, or anything else.

Our greatest need is salvation – so God sent Jesus.

Jesus is not any old saviour, He is our Saviour; He is the only Saviour.

The shepherds understood it. After the angels announced the birth of the Christ Child, the shepherds said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us” (Luke 2:15). These were humbled shepherds. They were not the rich and elite, not kings and royalty, but simple folk.

God has “hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Luke 10:21). This was the birth of a saviour.

Jesus is not a good way to get to heaven. He is not even the best way to get to heaven. Jesus is the ONLY way to get to heaven. Whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not - without Jesus there would be no salvation. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

Without Christmas – without the birth of Jesus – there would be no salvation.

If you are a true believer, if you really are a Christian, then each year when we celebrate the birth of Christ, we also are celebrating getting one year closer to seeing Jesus face to face. Jesus, the Son of God, who left the glories of heaven to come into this world in a lowly manger, who suffered and died an agonizing death, who arose from the grave three days later and who is now sitting on the right hand side of God the Father making intercessions for His people.

This is our living Saviour.

This is why we celebrate Christmas.