It’s the most wonderful time of the year. There’ll be holiday greetings and friends coming to call. It’s the time of year to throw around phrases like Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, to be of good cheer to every cashier and barista in sight. But what does it mean when we wish someone a Merry Christmas?
We’re intending to spread a message of love and happiness, but many times it feels like we’re offering up an empty phrase. Like saying “Be warmed and filled” to a hungry, homeless person on a subzero day without giving them a warm place to stay and a sandwich.
Why do our intentions fall flat? Because love must be more than a well-wished, fuzzy feeling. Love must have purpose; love must have meaning; and love must be demonstrated with action.
The angels announced the birth of Christ with glad tidings that would bring great cheer. But the long-awaited Messiah didn’t appear to bring us warm, cozy feelings of parties, toasted marshmallows, and Christmas carols.
First John 3:5 says, “You know that he appeared in order to take away our sins.”
Jesus Christ came with a message of love, but it was a message of love from a God who came to rescue unlovely sinners like you and me.
His love came with a purpose: to redeem us from an eternity of punishment that our sins deserve so we could spend eternity glorifying and enjoying the most loving being in existence—God himself.
His love came with a meaning, displayed to us in God’s perfect character because he is the very definition of love.
And his love came with a demonstration:
“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NET).
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, ESV).
This holiday, instead of greeting our friends, family, and acquaintances with “Merry Christmas,” let’s say, “I hope you know the love of Christ this season.” Then share the meaning of that love which came to us as a baby that very first Christmas, gave his life for us, and soon will be coming again.
Parker Christian Editing 