It's Coming On Christmas

In the Jonie Mitchell song "It's Coming On Christmas" she sing "it's coming on Christmas and I wish I had a river to skate away on". I imagine that this is the feeling of many people have this time of year. It could be for many of us, expectations of what the Christmas season will bring go unfulfilled each year.

I believe it is because we all have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. It is more than the giving and receiving gifts to and from friends and family members. It is more than political arguements over the secularism of the holidays and whether they are inclusive enough.

Then what are the holidays about? It is about a Promise Made and a Promise Kept. God promised man all through out the OLD TESTAMENT that He would send someone to restore their relationship after it had been broken by sin. A Savior that would allow man to be free from sin and have eternal life in the presence of God.

That promise was kept with the birth of Christ. The second chapter of Luke in the New Testamant recounts the story of the birth of Christ to Mary and Joeseph in Bethlehem. The night Christ was born angels came to shepards watching their flocks near by and said "Do not be afraid , I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people". "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." The Savior arrived and God kept his promise to restore man to Himself.

This was and is the ultimate Christmas gift. Man can live in a restored relationship to God and have eternal life. However like any gift the receiver must accept it. That is simply done by recognizing that we are sinful by nature and we need Christ as our Lord and Savior. All we need to do is to ask God to save us and he will. It is not something that can be accomplished by works, it can only be done by accepting his gift.

Christ can fulfill all unrealized expectations and He is our hope. I think we will get more out of Christmas if we keep that front and center in our minds. Merry Christmas, A Promise Made and A Promise Kept.