Christmas is about...

Sometimes I wonder if we really understand what we sing.

I'm not talking about all times I've heard people sing along mindlessly to country songs about girls dancing in the back of some beat-up truck while drinking beer. Maybe there's a time to ask why we sing dumb songs, but not today.

I'm talking about when we sing mindlessly to glorious songs. Don't just skip over that word. Glorious.

When words come out of our mouths, voicing truth that is pregnant with....glory, do we really understand what we are saying? 

We do this all year long, but nowhere is it more evident than during the Christmas season. I mean, think about it. How many of the Christmas carols have we sung our entire lives and never stopped to think about what we are really saying?

Try reading these lines. Read them slowly. Read them more than once. Think about what you're reading here:

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth."

"Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners RECONCILED."

"Son of God, love's pure light....the dawn of redeeming grace."

Think about that last one...the dawn of redeeming grace. We celebrate the dawning redeeming grace. What does that mean? It means we were enemies of God, bound by sin, hopelessly lost. BUT, Jesus came. Jesus redeemed us by His grace. 

This season, the vast majority of people will spend their Christmas celebrating the best person they can imagine:

A jolly old man with a big beard. This man is immortal, has magical powers, and spends his time giving presents to everyone in the world! Wow! This is one seriously generous guy!

Well, almost everyone. 

See, he actually has this thing called "a list," and he checks it twice. 

There's the nice list, and the naughty list. 

If you've been a good boy or girl, you'll be on the nice list and get a present. But if you've been bad, you'll get thrown on that dread naughty list, and you get nothing for Christmas. Except maybe some coal.

Translation: Christmas is for those who are good enough.

Santa Clause is comin'....better watch out!

You are ready for Christmas when you've been good all year, when you've been mature and kind and have enough family to spend the holiday with.

WHAT?!?!?!?!

This is what we're celebrating on CHRISTMAS? Are you kidding me? How in the world have we allowed ourselves to make such a TRAVESTY of the message of Jesus, and tell our CHILDREN that this is what happens on Christmas???

The true message of Christmas is that while we were NOT on the nice list, too bad to even be on the naughty list, while we were ENEMIES of God...God became flesh.

While we hated God, Love came down and made His dwelling among his enemies.

• Christmas is about GOD, the One who knows everything, limiting Himself to the human brain.
• Christmas is about GOD, the One who is everywhere at once, confining Himself to the human body, going no further than a couple hundred miles from where He was born.
• Christmas is about GOD, who whispered the universe into existence, who can do anything, becoming an infant and relying upon a 16 year-old girl for everything. 

Why all this? Because Christmas is about GOD becoming flesh for the sake of His ENEMIES. Christmas is about God giving gifts to everyone, especially those who deserve it the least. And while Santa offers gifts of toys and cars and iPhones, God offers us Himself.

Translation: Christmas is for you when you realize how bad you are.

You are most prepared for Christmas when you are aware of how unprepared, how undeserving, how "naughty", you are. You are ready for Christmas, when you know how much you need a savior.

After all, on Christmas we celebrate Jesus. And that's exactly what the name Jesus means: God saves.

Chris Rice wrote a beautiful Christmas song entitled "Welcome to our World." Here are a few of his words...

"Tears are falling, hearts are breaking, how we need to hear from God.
You've been promised, we've been waiting,
Welcome Holy Child.

Bring Your peace into our violence, bid our hungry souls be filled.
Word now breaking Heaven's silence, welcome to our world...

Fragile fingers sent to heal us, tender brow prepared for thorns.
Tiny heart whose blood will save us, unto us is born...

So wrap our injured flesh around You, breathe our air and walk our sod.
Rob our sin and make us holy, perfect Son of God."

Amy Grant sang a beautiful cover of Chris Rice's song, take a listen below.

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Evan Smith

is a Pastor currently living in Phoenix, AZ. He majored in New Testament Studies at Ozark Christian College. Born and raised in Texas, he grew up the third-born of 7 kids and loved (almost) every minute of it! He is happily married to his high school sweetheart, Breanna, and has two wonderful kids, Hannah Joy and Peter. More than anything, Evan wants to be a man who is marked by a hunger for God.

“The God who came, still comes. The God who spoke, still speaks.”