Why Christmas?

“Look, the Virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
And they will call him Immanuel
Which means ‘God with us”

This time of year, we hear many people say, “Christmas is all about Jesus,” but thetruth is, Christmas is about “God with us.”

“God with us” is the message of the entire Bible.

In the beginning, God created the earth for mankind. Think about it. We are the only creatures on the planet that have any appreciation for the beauty of the world. I have a Yorkie named Molly. When I take Molly on a walk, she’s not thinking about how beautiful the trees are. When Molly sees a tree, she is
thinking about #1 or #2.

If God created the earth for mankind, why did he make us?

God created us because he wanted kids.

He can be almighty God on his own, but he cannot be Father God without kids. This is our identity. We are sons and daughters of God. This is why we exist.

There are many names for God in the Bible, such as Almighty God, El Shaddai, Yahweh, Jehovah Jeriah, but the name he likes best is Father. How do I know?

Because that is what Jesus called God.

When Adam sinned, it separated Father God from his kids, and ever since then, God’s heart has been to get close to his kids. That was the purpose of the Tabernacle.

“Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”

It’s why Jesus came to planet Earth on Christmas morning. It’s why Jesus died on the cross, and it’s why he rose from the God. God is our Father. He loves you and me, and he wants to be close to us.

When my son Mark was born, I experienced a new kind of love. Until then, I had experienced different kinds of love, love for my parents and my friends. I remember when I fell in love with Deb, and she returned that love, but his was a different kind of love – the love of a father.

When Deb was pregnant with Mark, she developed an acute case of Preeclampsia. The enemy tried to kill Mark when he was still in the womb. When he was born, he weighed only 3.5 pounds. He spent the first month of his life in intensive care.

Deb and I would go to the hospital every day to see our son. He was inside a glass box with all kinds of tubes attached to him. I wanted to pick him up and hold him, but I couldn’t.

As I looked at my son, Mark, I thought about how the devil tried to take him out, and this presence filled the room. I felt something – it was the love of a father. I wanted to pick up my son and hold him tight, but I couldn’t. There was a separation between us.

This gave me a little bit of understanding of the love that Father God has for us. Let’s face it, the world is messed up. Anger and hatred seem to be taking control. Father God loves us and wants to bring us close, but there is a separation. It’s called sin.

But God didn’t just sit there and look at us in our mess. He sent his Son, Jesus, to remove the separation.

“He who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.”

How do we draw close to God so he can hold us tight?

The Apostle Paul said it like this, “If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.”

Talk to Father God today. Come home to Father’s house. Give your life to Christ today.