Why we celebrate Christmas…

Christmas is a great time to not only think about Jesus Christ, but to talk about him to the world.

So, what is Christmas? Christmas is a day set aside to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. It is not Christ's official birthday, but rather a day chosen by the church to remember his birth.

The word Christmas simply means the mass of Christ. A mass held in remembrance of what Christ did for us (i.e. died for our sins) and what it means for us ( i.e. rose from death to give us eternal life with God the father).

There are different theories as to how Christmas originated, but the most popular one is that it originated from the 4th century. This was during the reign of the first Christian emperor Constantine. The theory suggests that Christmas was chosen to coincide with the winter solstice festivals like the Roman Saturnalia and the feast of Sol Invictus to attract pagans to Christianity.

However, it was not until the 9th century before Christmas became a major festival and it was not until Victorian times that Christmas really evolved into the Christmas we have come to embrace today.

Despite the origins of Christmas being historically linked to paganism, there is more to Christmas than the Secular, the commercialism, the misunderstanding or lack of understanding of what the day is really about.

Though, the Bible didn't tell us the date Jesus was born, what it does tells us is why we should celebrate the birth of Jesus.  In the book of Matthew 1:20-21 an angel of the Lord said this about the birth of Jesus,

"Mary...will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
- Matthew 1:20-21, NIV -

The Bible went on to say that Mary,
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
- Matthew 1:23, NIV -

Firstly, the Bible tells us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because he came to save us from sin and secondly, to celebrate because God, came in human form to do the saving himself. Hence the name Immanuel, God with us. Something the Bible confirms in John 1:14. It says,

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 1:14, NIV

Note the words, "the word became flesh." The word here represents God. How do I know this? Because the Bible says it in the book of John 1:1. It says,

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'
- John 1:1, NIV -

That is the real reason why we celebrate Christmas, God coming to save us from sin through Jesus Christ. It is why Jesus is the only way to God, because only him can do the job of saving man from sin. It is why Jesus himself said this:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- John 14:6 -

And before anyone starts to throw daggers because of the emphasis on Jesus being the only way, remember God did it all because he loves us. The Bible says John 3:16, to

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
- John 3:16 -

Whatever the world thinks of God, he lives us unconditionally and gave his flesh for us. That is why we celebrate. It is why the angel of the Lord called Jesus Christ the:

"Good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
- Luke 2:10, NIV -

And it is why we must share the good news of Jesus Christ each Christmas. So, that we don't forget that the mass is all about Christ! Let's think about it.

I will leave you with a song that helps us reflect on CHRIST, the main reason for the season . Have a merry Christmas my lovelies!

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