Minister’s Blog

I love the Christmas season with all the family get-togethers, giving and receiving presents, beautiful Christmas music, the decorations of Christmas, the sounds of Christmas in the malls and stores, the greetings, the children’s progams, special church programs and the Santa Claus tale. Christmas music, which excels as a genre of music, makes the season special. My favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night” and a close second favorite is “Mary, Did You Know?” When we moved to Northwest Ohio, I told our children, “We will visit you at Thanksgiving but you can come to see us at Christmas.” Our young grandchildren are just getting to the age where they understand the season. What a great season!

The season also brings some unhappy moments when we remember the ones who are missing. Alexis’ parents have been gone now for over twenty years but we still miss them at Christmas time. Sadness over their departures will always linger in our hearts. Both our grandparents have been deceased for many years. If you have suffered the loss of a family member you know the sorrow that accompanies Christmas. For those of you who have loss family members during the past year, we will pray for your comfort. Instead of soothing our griefs Christmas seems to refresh our memories of our losses.

In the midst of the American style of the celebration of Christmas that seems to start after July 4 and gains momentum until December 25, we need to question why the story of Jesus’ birth was included in two of the four gospels in the New Testament. Christmas as we celebrate it was not known in the New Testament church. The early church viewed the birth of Jesus in a total different way than has been celebrated in the last few centuries. The Scriptures do reveal that the Magi gave gifts to the new born Son of God. Jesus taught us to give to those in need. Paul the Apostle gives us a quote about giving not found in the gospels. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

The New Testament writers, Matthew and Luke, included the narratives of Jesus’ birth to support their particular purpose in writing their gospels. The birth of Jesus is recorded in the New Testament to reveal that Jesus, the Divine Son of God, became a human being to accomplish the great work of redemption of humanity from their sins. Both Matthew and Luke wanted their readers (including us) to know and believe Jesus is both human and divine from the moment of His Divine conception and His normal human birth. Therefore, celebrating Jesus’ birth from a biblical viewpoint is to accept Jesus as the Divine Savior who became a man in order to bridge the gap between God and the people He created. When Jesus laid aside His Divine glory and power in Heaven to be born a human being He became a gift! John 3:16 declares God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son. The birth of Jesus is all about giving. God gave us His Son whom He had promised since the first man and woman violated God’s holiness with their sin. The biblical meaning of Christmas is definitely a celebration of giving. In Christmas God gave Himself to us. After God gave Himself we give ourselves to God. All other giving is secondary to the gift of Jesus.

In His Service,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister