For many people Christmas is a festive time. During Christmas, we see the manifestation of decorations, music, food, and of course gift giving. People who are in need of food, shelter and Christmas presents receive much help this time of year and rightly so. In other words, who does not like Christmas? Although those outward displays of love can demonstrate the faith of Christians, Christmas is so much more.
The word Christmas is an old English word that means “Christ Mass” which refers to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The earliest occurrence of the word on record is 1038 A.D. Christian’s at this time considered the Lord’s Supper to be the most important part of the celebration of Christ’s birth; and as a result this came to be called Christmas.
The actual birth date of Jesus Christ is not know for certain. And there are many theories that December 25th was originally taken from Roman pagans who during the winter solstice celebrated a feast to the “Unconquered Sun” . This feast was also called Deus Sol Invictus. However later in the mid 4th century the Christian church was growing and in an effort to expose the truth of Jesus Christ against this false god, the prophecy of Malachi was introduced. This prophecy was Malachi 4:2 “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.”
But more important than dates or festivities the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is the testimony in Luke 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
This is the good news the angels spoke to the shepherds in Luke 2:10. This is the birth of Jesus Christ and this is the birth of the Gospel. Christ came humbly as a baby, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (feed trough). His announcement was first given to the shepherds. Men who were not high on the social or political scale, but men who were humble. The shepherds were the first evangelists. They did not have a public relations firm or advertising agency. They had no budget to go out and start spreading the good news they just gave their eyewitness testimony. The shepherds were real and they praised God for all they had heard and seen!
Christ came for all people. He didn’t come just for the elite, or the socially accepted, or the rich. He did not come for the saints but for the sinners. He didn’t come for the righteous but for the lost so that by faith in Him the world would be saved. In a world today that is lost, that is good news, and that’s the birth of the gospel, Jesus Christ. Won’t you come to Him today?
