Many will celebrate Christmas in many different ways.

For some it is nothing but a party, to others it is all about the gifts.

To celebrate Christmas is more than parties, gifts, gatherings, music, plays, and parades.

Some people use different phrases, Jesus is the reason for the season or put Christ back in Christmas. There is certainty nothing wrong with these and they do remind us about the purpose for Christmas.

However, if we are not careful, we will still be lacking in recognizing the excitement and exaltation of Christmas.

Christmas is really about God.

Christmas is about when God intervened in the history of the world for the aid of the people of his creation, in order to restore them in a proper relationship with Him as God.

The birth of Christ is the most important event to ever to take place in the history of the world.

This is a bold statement but when we consider just a few of the scriptural references about the birth of Jesus, I believe we will come the that conclusion.

When we write the year out on documents it points back to the birth of Christ.

We all know that this is 2015, but wrote in its proper form, it is 2015 Anno Domini, which means in the year of our Lord.

Let’s consider what the scriptures say about the birth of Jesus.

In sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Nazareth, to a virgin who was espoused to Joseph and the virgin’s name was Mary.

You shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a son and you will call his name Jesus.

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.

It was affirmed to Joseph that Mary was going to give birth to a son and he was to be named Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

When Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem it came time for her to give birth. After giving birth to her son she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. There was in the same area shepherds keeping watch over their flock during the night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them and said, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

They could find the baby lying in a manger.

Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.

Let’s consider another Biblical reference.

One of the things, Luke writes about the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. Luke states that this was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. John would have been 30 years old.

He and Jesus were the same age expect for 6 months. Tiberius became a Caesar when John and Jesus were 15 years old.

There is an overlooked verse in the Old Testament that would refer a promise that was fulfilled at the birth of Christ.

In Genesis, we find God fulfilling his promise to Abraham.

His grandson was Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.

Jacob had 12 sons.

It was the custom of that time for the father to give a blessing to his children before he died.

Jacob gathers his children and beginning with the oldest, he begins to share about their future.

God gave him special insight in his declining years.

When he came to Judah one of the things he said was; “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh comes” (Genesis 49:10). We would normally think this would refer to a place but here it is a name of a person. Shiloh means peacemaker. Sceptre refers to ruling. What Jacob said meant that Judah would continue as a distinct tribe (group of people) and be the tribe of distinction until Christ came.

Jesus was of the tribe of Judah.

God fulfilled this plan through Mary and Joseph.

They both were of the linage of Judah.

After Jesus departed the earth Judah ceased to be a distinct tribe and lost their authority as head of the nation and in 70 a.d. Jerusalem was invaded. Gods’ plan was fulfilled. Judah was the people of Israel until Shiloh came. The scepter of Judah did not depart until when Shiloh (the Christ) came.

If Christmas is not about the recognizing the birth of Jesus, then there is no reason for Christmas.

If there was a need for a day for people to gather together and exchange gifts, then it could be call anything. But when you make the distinction of calling it Christmas then you are agreeing something unique happened and it has.

A savior was born. He was given the name Jesus for he saves people from their sin.

There is salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

So Christmas celebration is to acknowledge the birth of Christ. People can fail to properly celebrate Christmas but cannot ignore the facts God intervened in the history of the world for the salvation to all who will yield to him accept the gift of redemption.

“The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

 

– Leroy Cole is a member of the ministerial association.