“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” – John 17:4
The point of Christmas is the proclamation of the Gospel. This work Christ speaks of above is the point of Christmas, Jesus entering the world as a baby born to die such an awful, grueling death, and take in Himself the wrath deserved by His people for their sins, rise from the grave in power, ascend to heaven in glory, where we now await His return to judge the Earth. Satan would have his way with Christmas and make it an idolatrous, materialistic purchasing extravaganza, or a series of events and parties that crowds out Christ and His call to salvation, as well as His call to deep, personal, satisfying fellowship with Himself. However, God in His sovereign love, has made Christmas that time of year where a window is open for people to hear the Gospel, when those who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior are singing songs about the very Gospel itself! Just read all the old time Christmas songs. All of them start with Christ entering the world as this child, and end in His perfect, sacrificial work for sinners through His death and resurrection. All of these old time Christmas songs about Christ are all Gospel messages of salvation for those who believe.
And this Gospel is that God entered the world in Christ, in history, to accomplish the work God the Father had given Him to accomplish, namely a salvation that we could never have achieved by our own moral power, strength, or will. Christmas is not merely about a sweet, divine baby as much as it is this wondrous work for which He came, wrought out and accomplished on the cross for awful, hell-bound sinners. And this work was to redeem and purify for Himself a people for His own possession. Jesus came to accomplish and effectually give salvation to those given to Him by the Father through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross as the “once for all time” sacrifice for sins. Christmas is about proclaiming that Christ has reconciled sinners to God through His blood. All of you who disbelieve this message, by the power of the Holy Spirit (ask God Himself to help you see the truth of the Gospel!), believe in Him and His work for sinners and you will indeed be saved!
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